What does separate spheres mean?

Answer 1

It's a nineteenth century idea about the segregation of the two spheres of life: the public and the private. The husband (or men in general) was in charge of the public side of life while the wife (or women in general) was in charge of the private side of life. This meant that the man went to work, voted, participated in civics while the women cooked, raised the children, and took care of other domestic duties.

This dualism is idealized, as no one really lived completely in the private or public. Upper class women were far more public than private, and low class women were far more public than private too. But both in different ways.

Gender historians have picked up on this idea to explain male power over women.

Hope this helps.

--------For more info ------------

If you need more than what that guy ^ said then you might wanna search for "Cult of Domesticity"

I have to disagree with this answer. The ideology of separate spheres came about in the 18th century. It occured due to the formation of the 'middling sort' (the predecessor of the middle classes, which appeared in the 19th century). This new middling sort came about due to an increase in Englands wealth (they were the nouveau riche). Thus, the male and female roles of the middling sorts and elites became defined due to more leisure time and social expectations. Women became part of the private sphere and men part of the public sphere. However, this was not truly the case, the two separate spheres would often overlap to create a Venn diagram effect.

It is important to note that gender/separate spheres were linked to the middling sorts and elites. Historians have managed to miss a whole demographic (lower classes) because of this. However, this seems to be changing and the use of this term does not sit so favourably with modern historians. Arguably, this comes down to the interest in women's and gender history, which has re-interpreted the written history which has gone before.

Answer 2

It's the idea that men and women should work, and act, in different areas of societies.

Answer 3

They are spheres whose centres are further apart than the sum of their radii.