Women and the Wild West

In a time when the idea that all women were good for was caregiving and child-birthing, many women went out of their way to fight against these standards. Whether it was a political statement for equality or a means of survival, these women went out of their way to change the public image and spread it to others. The women of the "Wild West" changed gender normalities not only for their region but for women everywhere. This site will focus on some of these influential women from the 19th century. Many of these women were burdened by societal changes that affected their lives even more. From the Westward Expansion, which was a widespread movement to the West for better opportunity, to the Civil War, which had divided the country. Ignoring the moral line between good and bad, all these women have changed the way society sees them, and all of them led to the freedom, rights, and opportunities that our women of today have.