Catherine's Blog on War

Woolf has strong beliefs of the role of women in her society. Why did she believe that “…woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction..” and what were the differences between women of her time and women of the past?

Woolf believed that “woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Women were commonly overlooked and without a quality education, it was difficult for them to get their name out and to gain recognition. Money was a necessity that was used for college tuition and amenities. Without it, it was difficult to study and get a quality education. Room was an amenity at school that was given to the wealthy at school. As Woolf walks past these rooms, she realized that many great authors wrote books in there. She also walks pasts rooms where books were on display, so women need room for both writing and displaying to truly write fiction.

Differences between women of her time and women of the past was their role in society. Women of the past would work low paying jobs that earned too little in terms of saving up for their children’s tuition. They were also forced to give their hard-earned money to their husband, without any say. Women of Woolf’s time had a larger voice as compared to the women of the past. Woolf mentions that she would never let her husband take her money and that women should have a larger say in society.