Final answer:
Widowed Sarah and her two young children would have faced challenges due to the societal expectations and limited opportunities for women in the 19th century. These challenges include the cult of domesticity, limited wage-earning opportunities, physical hardships in pioneer society, limited healthcare, and a lack of rights and access to education for women.
Step-by-step explanation:
Widowed Sarah and her two young children would have faced several challenges in the 19th century due to societal norms and limited opportunities for women. The cult of domesticity, which idealized women as homemakers, limited their ability to work outside the home. This meant that Sarah would have had to take on the responsibility of providing for her family without many wage-earning opportunities. Additionally, societal expectations and limitations on women's rights may have made it difficult for her to sell property, sue for divorce, serve on juries, or vote.
Furthermore, if Sarah lived in pioneer society, she would have faced physical hardships, such as weather, illness, and danger, along with the added complication of childbirth. Access to healthcare and support during childbirth would have been limited, putting both her and her children at risk. The lack of rights and limited opportunities for education for women in pioneer society would have also made it challenging for Sarah to secure a stable future for herself and her children.
The challenges faced by widowed Sarah and her young children are rooted in the societal expectations of women during the 19th century and the limited opportunities available to them. These challenges include the cult of domesticity, which perpetuated the idea that women should focus solely on homemaking, and the limited access to wage-earning opportunities. In addition, if Sarah lived in pioneer society, she would have faced physical hardships, limited healthcare, and a lack of rights and access to education for women.