New Woman

The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late nineteenth century and had a profound influence on feminism well into the twentieth century. The term "New Woman" was coined by writer Sarah Grand in her article "The New Aspect of the Woman Question," published in the North American Review in March 1894. The term was further popularized by British-American writer Henry James, to describe the growth in the number of feminist, educated, independent career women in Europe and the United States. The New Woman pushed the limits set by male-dominated society, especially as modeled in the plays of Norwegian Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906). According to a joke by Max Beerbohm (1872–1956), "The New Woman sprang fully armed from Ibsen's brain" (an allusion to the birth of Athena).

Writer Henry James popularized the term "New Woman", a figure who was represented in the heroines of his novels, such as Daisy Miller in the novella Daisy Miller (serialized 1878), and Isabel Archer in Portrait of a Lady (serialized 1880–81). According to historian Ruth Bordin, the term New Woman was

intended by him to characterize American expatriates living in Europe: women of affluence and sensitivity, who despite or perhaps because of their wealth exhibited an independent spirit and were accustomed to acting on their own. The term New Woman always referred to women who exercised control over their own lives be it personal, social, or economic.

The "New Woman" was also a nickname given to Ella Hepworth Dixon, the English author of the novel The Story of a Modern Woman.

Although the New Woman was becoming a more active participant in life as a member of society and the workforce, she was most often depicted exerting her autonomy in the domestic and private spheres in literature, theatre, and other artistic representations. The nineteenth-century suffragette movement to gain women's democratic rights was the most important influence on the New Woman. Education and employment opportunities were increasing for women, as western countries became more urban and industrialized. The pink collar workforce gave women a foothold in the business and institutional sphere. In 1870, women in the professions were only 6.4 percent of the United States non-agricultural workforce; this rose to 10 percent in 1900, then 13.3 percent in 1920.

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