Angel of the home or the devil in disguise: The representation of women in the Irish press, 1908-1916

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the representation of women in the Irish press from 1908 to 1916. The study uses discourse analysis to examine the portrayal of women within three Irish newspapers, the Irish Times, the Irish Citizen, and Bean Na hEireann. Each newspaper epitomized a specific view of women. This view either reinforced or contradicted the prevailing stereotypes that existed during this period. Victorian society was dominated by two contrasting archetypes of women. The ideal woman was an innocent, sheltered housewife, who remained at home and tended to the children and servants. Her counterpart, the dissolute woman, was worldly wise and often involved in the public sphere. The Irish Times reflected that view and reinforced those stereotypes in its discussion of women. Bean Na hEireann and the Irish Citizen were both women's papers. The editors and contributors to them challenged the prevailing view. Bean na hEireann asserted that a virtuous woman was an Irish nationalist, who used her feminine influence in the service of her country. Irish nationalist women claimed that a reprobate woman supported other movements, such as suffrage, that undermined the nationalist cause. The women of the Irish Citizen prioritized support for suffrage. The ideal woman for them was a suffragette, who saw the enfranchisement of women as a way to help all women. The suffragettes believed that a degenerate woman was anyone who prioritized other movements over suffrage. Nationalism was a primary example of this. This study reveals how women attempted to circumvent the molds they were placed into by society. Their efforts merely resulted in the creation of other molds, with differing characteristics. This dissertation demonstrates the impact of stereotypes on the lives of real people, and shows how marginalized groups have attempted to influence their own representation.