Rheta Childe Dorr Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rheta Childe Dorr - Research Paper Example The piece concluded, â€Å"The law of the sea: women and children first. The law of the land—that’s different.†3 However, she is most notes for her books based on her eyewitness reports as a war correspondent making over nine trips to Europe. Her works include, What Eight Million Women Want (1910); Inside the Russian Revolution_ (1917); A Soldier's Mother in France (1918); the autobiography, A Woman of Fifty (1924); and the Life of Susan B. Anthony: The Woman Who Changed the Mind of a Nation (1928). Dorr went beyond fighting for women’s rights in the workplace; she also sought to find equality in the political arena as well. In an extremely critical 1910 argument against sexual biases of the law she wrote her book, What Eight Million Women Want. In this book, Dorr described the political reality of custody law and argued that both men and women should have equal standing in custody of the children. Dorr did not believe women were the only ones who could ca re for the children in defense of joint custody that would allow women to work. She reported that the year before, a bill to equalize guardianship and argued that if wives "had the guardianship of their children, would anything prevent them from taking the children and leaving home? What would become of the sanctity of the home, with its lawful head shorn of his paternal legitimacy. Such contentions stymied legislative reform.†4 In the introduction of this same book, she reiterates this point stating â€Å"They are no longer wholly dependent, economically, intellectually, and spiritually, on a ruling class of men.†5 Dorr argues that child rearing is not a reason for women to stay at home as men also could take responsibility for the raising of the children. What Dorr saw was the inevitable role women would... This research paper discusses the Progressive Era when women were starting to find their voice and break traditional boundaries. The researcher focuses on the discussion of Rheta Childe Dorr, who is most commonly associate with the suffrage movement, but her ethical writings should not be overlooked. Many of her writings as a journalist were directed at women asking them to become involved these social reforms because it was their ethical and moral obligation to get involved. As an example, Rheta Childe Dorr told readers they must insist upon a support system to help the courts deal with juvenile delinquency. "You have established the theory of a court, but you have failed to provide the machinery through which the theory can work." Dorr’s writing was reflective of the typical muckracker style in that she addressed reform issues in the workplace that were published. For example, the researcher describes how Rheta Childe Dorr chose â€Å"Women and Children First† as the title for her 4 May 1912 Woman’s Journal article on the exploitative nature of a Brooklyn sweatshop. However, she is most notes for her books based on her eyewitness reports as a war correspondent making over nine trips to Europe. It is concluded by the researcher that even though she did not receive the recognition she was due during her lifetime, there is no doubt she was influential in the woman’s movement and helped break barriers that would open doors for women who followed in the field of journalism after her.