Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon Quotes
No human being has the right to be idle... Women must, as children of God, be trained to do some work in the world.
This was a virtually unheard of idea at the time.
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, 1827-1891, (Esculapius), Artist, Writer, and Early British Feminist, Women and Work, 1857
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Kern has been censured for her discriminatory and insulting statements made in the legislatures. See {623313} & . {623312} This quotation shows that in a democracy, where legislators represent specific geographic areas, people who are uneducated, racist, homophobic, religiously bigoted and/or foolish can elect a representative who has some bizarre and/or hateful views. There have, in America, always been elected representatives whose views are out of the mainstream and embarrassing to most Americans. However in a free democracy freedom of speech and representation cannot be limited to sensible, constructive, logical or scientifically accurate content. Kern and others like her remind us all where education and public information access may be less than ideal.
It has been true for most of American history with exceptions in depressions and some of the bad recessions. However after the 2008 economic meltdown of the George W. Bush Administration and the Great Recession that followed up to the time of this interview, it had not been true and one of Brooks' political objectives was to make it so again.
Prior to WWII there were few women in the labor force, and the traditional “values” of American society relegated women to be homemakers. However with so many men under arms, there were not enough workers to achieve the war production that was necessary. So changes had to be made in public attitudes, not only towards women working, but the nature of the work that they are capable of and ought to be doing. So the government took a proactive role in changing public attitudes towards women in the workforce. It was a successful effort, and the sociological and psychological effects are still felt, half a century later. See {584781}.
The editorial was in support of women’s suffrage—the right to vote which at the time women did not have in Britain. Women were very active in protests and demonstrations. Tactics sometimes involved civil disobedience and chaining themselves to public buildings. It was the civil disobedience and disruptions that the newspaper referred to as the “follies and excesses.” In retrospect today, it is amazing how threatened the society felt and how they reacted to the “threat” of females voting. It does however give us a perspective on those contemporary societies which restrict women’s voting rights.
Some Muslim women in Holland are virtual prisoners of their husbands and families. Many are beaten in conformity with a fundamentalist interpretation of the Koran. Some are even killed. Under previous concepts of Dutch tolerance and respect for pluralism the Muslims in Holland were not interfered with. However, due to her efforts, the rights of the women are now taking a higher priority and are not being subjugated to tolerance of Islam generally.
She was also Australia’s First Woman Cabinet Minister.
This is one of the earliest expressions of the now famous phrase.
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon was an English educationalist and artist, and a leading mid-19th-century feminist and women's rights activist. She published her influential Brief Summary of the Laws of England concerning Women in 1854. She co-founded the English Woman's Journal in 1858.
