Spaces in Her Day

In writing a diary, a woman shaped her day, her week, and her life. This text looks at unpublished diaries written by ordinary women to explore the ways in which women made sense of their lives, and the ways they incorporated and lived - or in some cases, resisted - social prescriptions for their lives and work. It explores the connections between what white, middle-class women wrote in their diaries and contemporary discussions about sexuality, work, relationships, motherhood and ageing. This account places the lives and writing of women not previously regarded as important at the centre of historical analysis.