New Woman
In the early 1890s, daughters of middle class Catholics expressed a desire to attend institution of higher education. Catholic leaders expressed their concern as studying at these "Protestant" schools, as the Church described it, might threaten the women's Catholic faith. The Church also viewed the New Woman as a threat to traditional womanhood and the social order. The Church cited past accomplished Catholic women, including saints, to critique the New Woman. By citing those women, the Church also argued that it was the Church, not the New Woman movement, that offered women the best opportunities. Others also critiqued the New Woman for her implied sexual freedom and for her desire to participate in matters that are best left to men's judgment. As Cummings writes, the New Woman was accused of being "essentially uncatholic and anti-catholic".