Part 8/13:
Similarly, old responses from 1889 are echoed today: women asserting they prefer being single or claiming they don’t want relationships because they’re “free” — all while secretly wishing for romantic fulfillment.
The Illusion of Female Agency
The speaker suggests that these narratives are essentially coping mechanisms—deliberate reframings to mask the underlying frustration and societal pressure women feel. Victorian women, for example, expressed admiration for professional opportunities but still visibly contained disappointment or longing. Modern women, despite asserting independence, often reveal through their confessions that they desire connection, companionship, and a family—yet feel thwarted by cultural and legal shifts, or by their own standards and behaviors.