The Home

The Home: Its Work and Influence (1903) is a sociological study by American author and feminist Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Inspired by her work as a social reformer and advocate for women’s suffrage, Gilman sought to write a work of nonfiction that explained the role of the home as a human institution, as well as to address the problems and inequities of home life—especially for women.

In the beginning, Gilman argues that “[e]very human being should have a home.” The role of the home in human society, she claims, is not only to provide safety and comfort, but to facilitate the productivity, creativity, and individuality of every person. Despite this, the home has evolved far slower than all other human institutions, ensuring that the life of humanity has failed to progress as far as its ideals would suggest. Having identified this problem—as well as shown that women bear responsibility for maintaining households while men control the home as a system of power—Gilman moves through such topics as domesticity, cooking, entertainment, and children in order to properly identify the highly gendered roles of each member of the home. Ultimately, Gilman argues that a progressive home will benefit not only each individual within the family unit, but the whole of society at large. The Home: Its Work and Influence is a powerful work of sociological thought by a leading reformer and feminist of her day.

This edition of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Home: Its Work and Influence is a classic of American literature and nonfiction reimagined for modern readers.

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