"My Experience in Babies, Sir!"
This was a poem by Mary Neal that was featured in the Godey's of January, 1854, which reflects the view that the rearing of children was a uniquely female task. It does not, however, diminish the job, instead opting to show maternity as something that no man could even begin to do properly. This view empowered the female audience of Godey's, many of whom were mothers and domestic laborers that existed subserviently to men. This view, which was supported by the magazine, also made it difficult for women to separate themselves from the role of mother when they needed to.
"The New Sewing-Machine"
This advertisement for a sewing machine, also from the 1854 Godey's, suggests itself as a means of simplifying the domestic labor of sewing. As it is a contraption "so simple in its construction and action that it may be worked by a child", it is intended to streamline the process of making clothes and tailoring that women of the 19th century were expected to perform. Since women were still not fully considered capable of performing difficult tasks, especially those including machinery, it had to be described as something so simple a child could use it.
"Mrs. Adolphus Smith Sporting The Blue Stocking."
This is an anecdotal short story that Fanny Fern wrote and included in her Fern Leaves portfolio, in which a mother is shown trying to finish a story she is writing but is constantly interrupted. These interruptions come in the form of quotes such as, "Wife! Will you leave off scribbling?", and the short tale ends with the narrative voice sardonically noting that it is "no use for a married woman to cultivate her intellect". Fern is making the assertion through her character that while there was no substitute for the role of a woman in the domestic sphere, it was nearly impossible for a woman to balance being a wife, mother, and scholar at the same time.