Cult of True Womanhood

Before you start imagining secret compounds and brainwashing, the Cult of True Womanhood was not that type of cult. Instead, it was a name for the culture (cult → culture) surrounding what it meant to be a “true woman” in the 19th century.

Also known as the 'Cult of Domesticity', this defining paradigm of femininity emphasized the four cardinal virtues of women: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. This set of ideals not only shaped societal expectations and standards for women during that period but also played a significant role in the evolution of women's rights and gender roles in the years that followed.

The Cult of True Womanhood Definition

The Cult of True Womanhood, also known as the Cult of Domesticity is a term that describes the set of values held by upper and middle-class women in the 1800s, particularly within a domestic context. These ideals held that a woman's virtue resided in her piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. It is part of the separate spheres ideology, which divided the place for men and women into two spheres:

• Men belonged in the public sphere of business, politics, and commerce.
• Women belonged in the private sphere of the home.

The Four Virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood

Historian Barbara Welter coined the term, the Cult of True Womanhood, in an essay for American Quarterly in 1966 by the same name. In it, she lays out and explains the four virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood:

The Four Virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood: Piety

Abiding by the Cult of True Womanhood, a woman had to be pious, or devoted to religion. Religion was a “safe” outlet for women because it could be practiced in the private sphere of the home. It also did not challenge conventions that intellectual pursuits might interfere with.

The Four Virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood: Purity

According to the Cult of True Womanhood, a woman also had to be pure, meaning women were not to have any sexual relations before marriage. Men, on the other hand, struggled to be pure and often tempted women. It was the woman who had to be strong and protect her virtue, lest she become a “fallen woman.”

The Four Virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood: Submissiveness

Next, a woman was supposed to be submissive to her husband and other men in her life. According to Welter, this was the most feminine of the virtues as a man also needed to be pious and pure (less emphasis on the pure), but he was distinctly dominant.

The Four Virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood: Domesticity

Lastly, a woman needed to be skilled in the domestic art of housekeeping. She was in charge of cleaning the house, doing the laundry, cooking the meals, entertaining the guests, and caring for the sick. Essentially, a woman found her employment in the home. This was in direct contrast to men who worked in the public sphere.

The Cult of True Womanhood Characteristics

The main characteristics of The Cult of True Womanhood are piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. These virtues were encouraged by the role of print media and exclusivity.

The Cult of True Womanhood Characteristics: Role of Print Media

The virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood were reinforced by print media of the time including religious literature, woman’s magazines, and gift books.

Fig. 1 - Godey's Lady's Book was a popular women's magazine of the time that espoused the Cult of True Womanhood's virtues.

The Cult of True Womanhood Characteristics: Exclusivity

As we already know, the Cult of True Womanhood applied to upper and middle-class women, not working-class women. This was because women who had to work outside of the home went outside of the delegated domestic sphere.

The Cult of True Womanhood also excluded enslaved and free black women. Racist ideology suggested that Black women were not capable of holding the necessary virtues required to be a “true woman.” When it came to the Cult of True Womanhood, it was predominantly white, non-immigrant, Protestant women.

Opposition to the Cult of True Womanhood

Although many women did happily fall in line with the Cult of True Womanhood, there was a growing movement against the virtues and for women’s rights, particularly the right to vote. In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention took place, the first of its kind for the women’s movement.

Fig. 2 - Suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 with Lucretia Mott.

Women who supported the movement faced harsh attacks on their womanhood such as the one below.

Later, in the Progressive Era, the “true woman” stepped aside for the “new woman” who was a feminist, worked outside the home, smoked cigarettes, and pursued an education.

The Cult of True Womanhood Significance

The Cult of True Womanhood was significant because it defined a woman’s role in the world around her. If a woman deviated from the virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood, she lost her femininity, as her success as a woman was based on her ability to embody these virtues.

The Cult of True Womanhood also had the unintended impact of propelling the women’s movement as women rebelled against its oppressive values. If we look forward to the 1950s, we see a similar situation. The re-vamped Cult of Domesticity around being a housewife propelled the second wave of feminism in the United States.