Conclusion

The nineteenth century produced advancements in scientific and medical knowledge that coupled with American society's ever present Christian values. During the Antebellum Period, Christianity was used to justify gender roles and societal standards for both men and women. New enlightened thinking, stemming from the Second Great Awakening, began to influence changes in societal views on sex, gender, and public behavior; which were presented through etiquette and medical texts. People’s exploration of their religiosity and spirituality in the Age of Reform, overlapped with the promotion of physical wellbeing during the Health Movement. Both of which, laid the framework for pivotal changes in gender roles that occurred in the Gilded Age. This momentum for change caused females to be more prominent in the public sphere, increased acceptance of sexual interactions, and moved women toward gender equality. Women’s increased mobility in the public sphere during the end of the nineteenth century paved the way for further gender equality movements in the twentieth century Progressive Era and continued today.