The Cult of Domesticity or Cult of True Womanhood was a prevailing value system among the upper and middle classes during the nineteenth century in the United States and Great Britain. Although all women were supposed to emulate this ideal of femininity but black, working class, and immigrant women did not fit the definition of "true women" because of social prejudice. Very few white women fit this ideal either, even those in wealthy households. This of course, did not stop them from trying.
Part of the Separate Spheres ideology, the cult of domesticity identified the home as women's "proper sphere". Prescriptive literature advised women on how to transform their homes into domestic sanctuaries for their husbands and children. Women were put in the center of the domestic sphere and were expected to fulfill the roles of a calm and nurturing mother, a loving and faithful wife, and a passive, delicate, and virtuous creature. These women were also expected to be pious and religious, teaching those around them by their Christian beliefs, and expected to unfailingly inspire and support their husbands.
The women and men who most actively promoted these standards were generally white, Protestant, and lived in New England and the Northeastern United States.
Read more about Cult Of Domesticity: Virtues, Impact, Connection To The Women's Movement
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