Women's Networks

Networks in the Private Sphere

Women's social networking prior to the Industrial Revolution started within the family. Women bonded with other women in their families, such as mother to daughter or sibling to sibling, over the experiences they shared, such as pregnancy, childbirth, childrearing, and menopause. This bonding provided women with support for their experiences, although it also reinforced [Page 953]their positions within society as caretakers and home-makers. Another dimension of these social networks included visiting homes of both family and friends and helping these women with tending the home and child care in difficult times. Other visits involved having tea or dinner. These practices of visiting occurred for women living in both rural and urban areas. Churchgoing provided another outlet for women to connect with each other.

For the literate, letter-writing became an integral part of building and maintaining these networks. Immensely popular at the time, the epistolary form served as both interpersonal connection and literary performance. Manuals and guidebooks outlined the proper ways in which to write these letters, and many letters followed similar patterns in their greetings, closings, and laments over distance and time passed between last correspondence or last visit. Among the personal expressions directed to the recipient, letters recounted the everyday experiences of the writers, offered observations on their world, and functioned to maintain relationships. These letters became social capital in that they were read not only by the recipients but also shared with other women during visits or over teas or dinners.

Gossip refers to the sharing of information—usually private—about an absent person within an interpersonal conversation. Gossip served as a form of social maintenance, helping distinguish between reputable and disreputable women, and it offered women the opportunity to advocate their own interests. Although today gossip carries a negative reputation and overall remains undervalued as a form of social connection, it proved an accessible way for women to connect and even exert some influence. Gossip offered a bonding point for women, particularly in urban areas, which allowed closer and more frequent contact with their friends and neighbors. Gossip was also shared at quilting parties, sewing circles, parlors, and workplaces.

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