Chapter 5: Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935)

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Gilman primarily drew on which three sociological theoretical traditions for her work?

A. symbolic interactionism, functionalism, feminist theory

B. feminist theory, social Darwinism, symbolic interactionism

C. social Darwinism, symbolic interactionism, Marxist theory

D. Marxist theory, functionalism, symbolic interactionism

Ans: C

2. Gilman’s work and theorizing established her reputation as a(n) ______.

A. feminist

B. Marxist

C. academic

D. rationalist

Ans: A

3. Gilman was particularly criticized by her era’s press for ______.

A “giving away” her husband and child

B. having an abortion

C. living with another woman

D. lecturing at universities

Ans: A

4. How did Gilman draw on Marx when analyzing gender inequality?

A. by focusing on cultural forces that kept women at home

B. by studying political and economic factors that led to the exploitation of women

C. by examining differential socialization that taught men to work

D. by highlighting the importance of the class struggle in the home

Ans: B

5. According to the authors, Gilman’s work focused primarily on the ______ dimensions of gender inequality.

A. personal and internal

B. internal and structural

C. structural and institutional

D. institutional and economic

Ans: C

6. The authors characterize Gilman’s basic theoretical orientation as ______.

A. nonrational, individual

B. nonrational, collective

C. rational, individual

D. rational, collective

Ans: D

7. Gilman used corsets as a metaphor for ______.

A. lack of women’s control over fashion

B. the requirements of mothers

C. societal constraints placed on women

D. widespread expectations to be wives

Ans: C

8. Gilman’s discussion of the corset is most closely linked to which theorist and concept?

A. Durkheim’s solidarity

B. Weber’s bureaucracy

C. Marx’s false consciousness

D. Durkheim’s profane

Ans: C

9. What did the “rest cure” require women to do?

A. fast extensively

B. refrain from intellectual activity

C. sleep only with their child

D. keep a journal

Ans: B

10. One characteristic of the patriarchy is that it associates the masculine with ______ and the feminine with ______.

A. science; knowledge

B. truth; honesty

C. rationality; emotionality

D. intuition; instinct

Ans: C

11. What happens in “The Yellow Wallpaper?”

A. The narrator and her husband renegotiate her treatment.

B. The narrator helps her caretaker escape.

C. The narrator slowly goes insane from her treatment.

D. The narrator stays in bed and slowly feels better.

Ans: C

12. Why did Gilman write “The Yellow Wallpaper?”

A. to advance her economic philosophy

B. to bring awareness to the harms of the rest cure

C. to justify her separation from her husband and child

D. to highlight the importance of solitude for writing

Ans: B

13. What does The Yellow Wallpaper symbolize in Gilman’s story?

A. how society traps women

B. the decline of the narrator’s mental health

C. how medical advice impacts women

D. the deterioration of the narrator’s marriage

Ans: A

14. Gilman’s commentary on social relationships and mental health in “The Yellow Wallpaper” closely parallels which of the following?

A. Marx’s argument about class struggle

B. Durkheim’s work in Suicide

C. Weber’s Verstehen

D. Durkheim’s argument about the profane

Ans: B

15. Gilman argues that if women were actually compensated for their work in the home, ______.

A. poor women would still be poor because they work outside the home

B. poor women with lots of children would get the most money

C. rich women with lots of children would get the most money

D. rich women would be less likely to have kids

Ans: B

16. Gilman states that “women’s work” in the home is mostly ______.

A. child-rearing

B. house service

C. maintaining the marriage

D. maintaining a social life

Ans: B

17. For Gilman, profit for women comes only through the power of ______.

A. sex-distinction

B. domestic service

C. sex-attraction

D. child-rearing

Ans: C

18. For Gilman, a woman’s economic status is dependent on ______.

A. the amount of housework she performs

B. her ability to meet her own economic necessities through work

C. the economic status of her husband

D. how well she is paid for childcare

Ans: C

19. Gilman defines “economic independence” as ______.

A. no longer relying on parental support

B. earning money through work, not inheritance

C. the ability of a couple to jointly meet their financial needs

D. a direct relationship between one’s work and payment for that work

Ans: D

20. According to Gilman, the source of a woman’s economic well-being lies in ______.

A. the number of children she has

B. her ability to pursue advanced educational opportunities

C. her commitment to housework

D. the status of her husband

Ans: D

21. According to Gilman, what is a primary problem of sex-distinction among humans?

A. It reinforces a binary understanding of gender.

B. The distinction encourages monogamy.

C. It leads to excessive sex-distinction.

D. that the distinction exists at all

Ans: C

22. Gilman argues that, unlike other animals, humans ______.

A. have a strict division of labor that prevents women from developing their talents

B. possess secondary sex-distinctions that lead to monogamy

C. have underexaggerated sex-distinctions

D. encourage males and females to take on similar roles

Ans: A

23. Gilman compares women to horses to support what point?

A. that society values only some types of women’s work

B. that women are docile and content to support others

C. that men and women have similar primary sex-characteristics

D. that women are economically dependent on men

Ans: D

24. Gilman argues that monogamy is a(n) ______ process, while sex-relation is a(n) ______ process.

A. unnatural; natural

B. natural; unnatural

C. evolutionary; social

D. social; evolutionary

Ans: B

25. According to Gilman, a significant long-term consequence of sex-distinction is ______.

A. a dysfunctional economy

B. stalled development of the human species

C. the rise of nonmonogamy

D. increased participation in organized religion

Ans: B

True/False

1. Gender inequality is defined as disparity in status, power, and prestige between men and women.

Ans: T

2. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was the first woman sociologist.

Ans: F

3. Gilman considered the traditional family structure to be exploitative.

Ans: T

4. Gilman asserted that the female sex is naturally superior to the male sex.

Ans: T

5. Gilman’s feminist perspective considered only White women.

Ans: T

6. One of the central themes of Gilman’s work is the lack of economic independence for women.

Ans: T

7. The husband in “The Yellow Wallpaper” listens closely to his wife’s concerns.

Ans: F

8. Due to Gilman’s prestige as a sociologist, many magazines wanted to publish “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Ans: F

9. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” John treats the narrator more like a child than as his wife.

Ans: T

10. During the 19th century, women were seen as inferior to men, but their feminine qualities were still valued.

Ans: F

11. According to Gilman, the traditional division of labor strips women of their freedom.

Ans: T

12. The woman who works the most generally has the highest status.

Ans: F

13. Gilman argues that women do more housework than child-rearing work.

Ans: T

14. Gilman’s analysis of economic dependency aligns most closely with Weber’s work.

Ans: F

15. Gilman argues that women are actively taught to deny their intellectual abilities.

Ans: T

16. Gilman’s theorizing supports the common phrase that “marriage is a partnership.”

Ans: F

17. According to Gilman, natural selection develops sex-characteristics.

Ans: F

18. According to Gilman, women become the weaker sex through sex-distinction.

Ans: T

19. Gilman challenges the belief that women should attend only to maternal duties.

Ans: T

20. Gilman argues that women have become used to their position, so they accept their inferior status.

Ans: T

21. Gilman argues that women became “the weaker sex” as men continued to limit what women could do.

Ans: T

22. Gilman argues that the high level of sex-distinction negatively impacts motherhood.

Ans: T

23. Sex-distinction becomes most pronounced in adolescence rather than childhood.

Ans: F

24. Gilman argued that religion helped challenge sex-distinction in her day.

Ans: F

25. Primary sex-characteristics refer to organs required for reproduction.

Ans: T

Essay

1. Analyze how Gilman drew on three major intellectual perspectives in her work.

2. Gilman stated that young girls were encouraged to think, act, and talk differently from boys, even if their interests were identical. To what extent do you see this differentiation continuing today? Provide specific examples.

3. Gilman takes a feminist perspective in much of her work, yet she is also influenced by social Darwinism. How does her social Darwinism shape and/or challenge her feminist perspective?

4. Discuss some of the limitations inherent within Gilman’s particular feminist perspective. Consider what she may have been missing.

5. How does Gilman’s discussion of the corset connect to her argument about women’s place in society? Do you think there are contemporary examples from fashion that could be used for the same argument?

6. According to Gilman, what determines the economic (in)dependence of an individual? How are sex-distinctions related to one’s economic status and equality?

7. Explain Gilman’s comparison of women and the domesticated horse. Do you think this comparison still holds true today? Explain your reasoning.

8. Define “sex-distinction” and “sex-attraction,” and explain how they are connected.

9. Summarize Gilman’s main points on gender inequality. Do you think the mass media today continue to reflect her arguments? Explain your reasoning.

10. Compare and contrast Gilman’s discussion of the division of labor with Marx’s discussion of the topic.

11. Explain how Gilman distinguishes between childcare and housework. Why is this analytical distinction necessary?

12. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman specifies that the narrator’s room was previously a nursery. Drawing on other aspects of Gilman’s theories, explain why this detail is significant.

13. Compare the role of women to the role of men in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” How do these roles embody Gilman’s larger theoretical arguments?

14. What is the rest cure? How does “The Yellow Wallpaper” critique the rest cure? What does the rest cure tell us about women’s place in society at the time Gilman wrote?

15. Summarize Gilman’s argument about how sex-distinction developed over time. To what extent do you think her argument can be extended into the 21st century?