Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860 – 1935), Response to Maxed Out
The principal focus of Gilman’s theory is concerned with the inequality between men and women that has evolved over time. She is in dialogue with Marx with regard to her first aphorism, that “all human beings, male or female, are capable of and need fulfillment in work” (Lengermann and Niebrugge, “Class Notes Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” Page 1). Gilman’s second contribution to sociology, however, veers from Marx’s idea that capitalism is the root of alienation, by saying that the sexuo-economic relation is to blame for the inability of both men and women in today’s society to enjoy work to the same extent.
Finding fulfillment in work, to Gilman, is only feasible if the following two conditions are met: joy and independence (Lengermann and Niebrugge, “Class Notes Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” Page 2). Independence, specifically, entails the ability to consider oneself an embodied subject by thinking and acting on one’s own. Explicitly, Gilman emphasizes that a person, regardless of sex, must be able to claim their human-born right to autonomy. To deny someone that is to confiscate their livelihood, according to her.
Other posts on sociology and Maxed Out:
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Introduction
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Jane Addams Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Karl Marx Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Africana Theorists Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Conclusion
Subsequently, Gilman names the human practice of excessive sex distinction as the culprit for the “gender division of labor” (Lengermann and Niebrugge, “Class Notes Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” Page 2). In particular, she points out that “We are the only animal species in which the female depends on the male for food, the only animal species in which the sex-relation is also an economic relation” (Lengermann and Niebrugge, “Class Notes Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” Page 2). While in recent years there seems to have developed a tendency away from this trend, at least in the United States, this statement almost wholly depicts the present state of global sexuo-human affairs.
The film Maxed Out illustrates this androcentric culture and its gender division of labor, and the exploitation of women therein. Historically, there have been many fewer women than men working in the finance and banking industries. Not until recently have women been able to tap into this once exclusive club, and make their impact. In the film, a woman who works at Harvard University told of an instance where she delivered a presentation which outlined the flaws of the credit lending industry at present. When asked why this system has never been fixed, a man in the back of the room answered the question instead. This man, said the Harvard employee, was clearly a man of power and high status within the banking community. He announced that the reason the credit lending industry hadn’t been fixed, is because then a large segment of lending companies’ clientele would become omitted. Essentially, this man admitted that the goal of credit card companies is in fact to exploit the weak and in doing so make the company, its stockholders, and its executives, richer. Fundamentally, the long-rewarded, stereotypical macho male persona emerged, and it clearly couples well with the opposite stereotype that women tend to be more gentle and less conniving, or at least are oppressed to the extent that that is how they appear. Historically, it seems, the opinions of women, a product of their true personalities, have been subjugated by their male counterparts, which can claim partial responsibility for the difficulty that women have faced when trying to enter the financial workforce.
Gilman stresses that each person must maintain his or her autonomy, which clearly has been denied to women in the past. At another point in the film, however, a panel of spokespersons for the financial industry delivers to Congress a presentation about why lending practices shouldn’t be changed. This is where the stereotypical personality of a woman—that being a caring, whole-hearted person—is exploited for the benefit of the credit lenders. This panel of financial representatives was mostly women, a clear contradiction of the current gender makeup of the industry. Nonetheless, these women seem to have been exploited, and their soft voices and seemingly caring demeanor made all the difference in Congress’s decision to side in favor of the major lending companies. Gilman’s point that society has been developed for the benefit of men and for the denial of female autonomy still holds true today, it appears.
Other posts on sociology and Maxed Out:
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Introduction
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Jane Addams Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Karl Marx Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Africana Theorists Response
Sociological Implications of Maxed Out, Conclusion
Works Cited
Lengermann, Patricia and Jill Niebrugge-Brantley. 2005. “Class Notes The Africana Theorists, Spring 2008 American University, Washington D.C.” (https://blackboard.american.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_43370_1%26url%3D).
---. 2005. “Class Notes Karl Marx, Spring 2008 American University, Washington D.C.” (https://blackboard.american.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_43370_1%26url%3D).
---. 2005. “Class Notes Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Spring 2008 American University, Washington D.C.” (https://blackboard.american.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_43370_1%26url%3D).
---. 2005. “Class Notes Jane Addams, Spring 2008 American University, Washington D.C.” (https://blackboard.american.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_ 2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_43370_1%26url%3D).
Maxed Out. Dir. James Scurlock. Perf. Mark Mumma, Ronald Reagan. DVD. Magnolia, 2005.
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