The Matron-in-the-Making
Turning Thirty: A Death Sentence
Social Culture by Annie Randall White
Long past the ideal marrying age, Social Culture: A Manual of Etiquette and Deportment by Annie Randall White established that “elderly girls” were welcome to adopt the freedoms of matronhood at the ripe old age of thirty. These new freedoms allowed older, single women to abandon the prospect of marriage and begin to judge the world for themselves without a male’s guidance. The norms established in Randall’s advice book supported these “brave” old maids for choosing to remain single, most likely due to the tragic death of a lover or the needs of an overbearing father. They encouraged women to lead full lives despite not having a companion to share in its joys. [1]
Regardless of Social Culture’s claims, most of these women boasted thriving intellectual, social, and professional lives. Not constrained to the domestic sphere, single women set their sights on educational pursuits. They focused on their careers and supporting themselves, rather than childrearing and maintaining a happy household. To these unmarried women, the label “matron” did not signify a lonely, incomplete life. In fact, most women achieved their success by remaining unwed. [2]
[1] Annie Randall White, Social Culture: An up-to-date book for polite society, containing rules for conduct in public, social and private life, at home and abroad (S.I., s.n., 1900).
[2] Emma Frances Angell Drake, What a Woman of Forty-Five Ought to Know (Philadelphia: Vir Publishing Co., 1902).
Education as a Means For Matronhood
While not all women who attended college rejected marriage, it was certainly discouraged for women to juggle the responsibilities of home and professional life during the Progressive Era. Most women who chose never to marry remained single for the sake of their careers. Although women's colleges made education accessible to those women with the financial means and drive for professional success, the gender barriers in the search for employment forced women to fully devote themselves to progressing their careers and forego having a family[1]. Therefore, many women who intended to have thriving careers chose to live their lives as matrons.
[1] Trisha Franzen, Spinsters and Lesbians (New York: NYU Press, 1995), 75.
Smith College
Home to Smith College's first classrooms and administrative offices, College Hall opened its doors in 1875 to welcome the College's first class of fourteen women and six faculty members. Today, Smith College stands as the largest privately endowed women’s college. As shown in this photograph taken in 1880, College Hall remains emblematic of the College's history as the first building designed for the campus.[1]
A member of the “Seven Sisters” collegiate institutions, Smith College gave women the opportunity to learn in an environment that promoted a female consciousness through lessons geared towards an entirely female student body.[2] These historic women’s colleges, all founded between 1837 and 1889, gave women access to higher education and the opportunity to pursue liberal arts subjects typically reserved for men. Additionally, women's colleges also offered a place of employment for women in academia. At these institutions, students drew their inspiration from exemplary female experts who specialized in their fields of study. They became witness to independent, established women who did not adhere to traditional gender norms, giving them the confidence to pursue careers of their own.[3]
[1] "Smith History," smith.edu, https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/smith-history, (accessed November 20, 2016).
[2] Trisha Franzen, Spinsters and Lesbians (New York: NYU Press, 1995), 51.
[3] Ibid.