The intellectual role of women in the 20th century During the late 19th century women were considered inferior and had fewer rights than men. The only two roles expected of her were that of wife or mother. At that time women could not own property in their names. Divorce and child custody laws were primarily in favor of men. Women were prohibited from attending universities and professional schools. In addition to educational limitations, women challenged the gender stereotypes of scientists and philosophers. Some educated men and elite class professionals feared that women would not fulfill their traditional roles in the home and workplace after receiving education. Prohibiting women from schools and universities has hindered social and economic progress. However, with the beginning of the 20th century, women began to fight for equal rights and changed stereotypical views of their role in society. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the Western world, the role of women and men in society was further exaggerated. The traditional belief was that men could only live a public life while women should stay at home to care for their children. Factories began hiring men, women, and even children to increase their profits. However, women were paid less and were often fired from their jobs after marriage or the birth of their first child. Due to economic vulnerability and poverty, many women have been forced into prostitution. Both contraception and abortion were illegal at that time. Rape laws normally worked against women. European family law was also disadvantageous for women. The husband's extramarital affairs were tolerated to a greater extent than those of the wife. After divorce... at the center of the paper... the improvement of the financial situation of women. Feminist writers often expressed the problems women faced in literature. Virginia Woolf wrote the novel "A Room of One's Own" in 1929, which became one of the fundamental texts of feminist literature. She emphasized women's right to participate in intellectual life by having a non-male-dominated space and an income of their own. Famous psychoanalysts Karen Horney and Melanie Klein challenged Freud's views on women by establishing a psychoanalytic foundation for women. Women writers and artists in the early 20th century represented women's issues in literature. Male authors such as Lawrence and Howells reflected on issues related to sexuality and sexual politics between men and women. Authors May Sinclair and Katherine Mansfield drew attention to the difficulties women faced in defining their roles.