Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”: Role of Emotional Health in Women’s Empowerment and Self-Actualization

Abstract

Aims: This paper aims to demonstrate that women can achieve a balanced and fulfilling life by prioritizing their physical and mental health alongside a successful career, economic independence, and civil rights. It highlights the importance of holistic self-care for women’s empowerment and self-actualization.

Methodology and Approaches: The study uses Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) to contextualize and foreground the neglect of women’s emotional health by caregivers. The analysis is supported by insights from Sichel and Driscoll’s Women’s Moods (1999) and Christiane Northrup’s Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (2010), alongside Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation (2017), originally propounded in 1943. These sources collectively argue that women’s empowerment extends beyond external achievements to include attention to emotional and psychological well-being.

Outcome: The findings emphasize that despite progress made through the Four Waves of Feminism, many women globally continue to suffer from physical and emotional health complications. They struggle with feelings of inadequacy, unregulated emotional states, and the need for social validation. Societal pressures on youth, beauty, appearance, and fulfilling multiple roles exacerbate these challenges.

Conclusion and Suggestions: The Feminist Movement and Women’s Liberation have underscored the need for giving women agency through legal rights and social recalibration. However, true empowerment requires equal focus on mental and emotional health. The study suggests that through holistic self-care and balanced attention to emotional well-being, women can achieve self-actualization, empowerment, and a more integrated life.