Jane Addams and Margaret Sanger are the famous female activists and representatives of women movements in the United States. Although the areas of these women’s interests can be discussed as different because Addams declared the principles of the woman suffrage and Sanger was known as the birth control activist, their ideas can be considered as similar.
In her work “Why Women Should Vote” (1915), Addams points at the necessity of providing women with more social responsibilities and rights to guarantee that the level of their direct duties such as household activities and children’s education can also increase (Addams par. 2). On the one hand, this idea is rather provocative, and it does not correspond with the tendencies of the 1910s. On the other hand, this idea is reasonable because it is indirectly supported by Sanger in her speech on the necessity of birth control.
The uniqueness of Addams and Sanger’s approach to discussing the rights of females is in the fact that these authors discuss any social responsibilities of women as the key to improving their roles in the family. Focusing on the texts, it is possible to note that both Addams and Sanger admit the fact that the woman’s main role is in her family.
These ideas seem to be related to the spirit of the times. However, Addams develops this idea stating that a woman should “extend her sense of responsibility” (Addams par. 2). Thus, the author argues that if a woman has the opportunity to realize herself in the social life while participating in elections, her level of responsibility increases as well as the level of her performance at home. This position can be discussed as rather unexpected for 1915, but it is correlated with the goal of the woman suffrage movement.
Focusing on the ideas presented in Sanger’s speech, it is important to note that the author also supports the opinion on the extension of women’s responsibilities. The statement that a woman will be more contributing to her family if she is able to control its size can be viewed as rather controversial while discussing it from religious and moral perspectives.
However, Sanger argues that if a woman is focused on the birth control, she cannot become “immoral” (Sanger par. 6). From this point, it is possible to agree with the female authors’ visions of the woman’s place in the society while focusing on her direct duties at home, without limiting her possible responsibilities.
The ideas of Addams and Sanger are also similar in terms of discussing the female right to choose. It is important to state that the authors focus on the women’s rights in the most delicate manner, while not declaring their ideas but trying to persuade the audience. Being an advocate for the woman suffrage movement, Addams notes that females should have the right to vote only after presenting the series of arguments (Addams par. 12).
In her turn, Sanger promotes the idea that one of the females’ primary rights is the right to give a birth to a child. Sanger supports her vision while stating that a woman “should have the right over her own body and to say if she shall or if she shall not be a mother” (Sanger par. 7). As a result, both authors’ ideas on the women’s right for a choice seem to be convincing.
Referring to the views of Jane Addams and Margaret Sanger, it is possible to state that their ideas are not only similar but also innovative for their times because they promote the view that if women’s responsibilities are extended in terms of being responsible for the birth control or for the vote, their performance in relation to traditional roles at home can also improve. In this context, it is possible to note that Addams and Sanger’s works could significantly contribute to changing the views on the women’s traditional roles in the society.
Works Cited
Addams, Jane. Why Women Should Vote. 1999. Web.
Sanger, Margaret. The Morality of Birth Control. 2003. Web.