Feminine Disadvantages

Overactivity and inactivity, even while they appear quite contrary to each other, are in fact the two modern curses biologic susceptibilities, especially in countries with orthodox ideas, woman siffers most tragically from these extremes. For example, among thepoor,woman is
overworked and needs more rest than physical education, besides better facilities of sanitation, hygiene, social amenities and other auxiliary means to healthful living, while among the middle and the well-to-do classes, usually the educated-blessed with fair circumstances-she suffers from inactivity and superfluity.

In all that concerns health, the modern educated woman laboirs under many physiological and psychological disadvantages. first to begin with she has a relatively smaller lung capacity, and greater organic responsibilities particularly during pregnacy and motherhood. Secondly, she is taught to value her education more highly than her health.

Thirdly, with her progress in education, she learns to regard physical work as degrading and believes that mental pursuits reflect refinement and culture. Fourthly, false notions of beauty and social etiquette make her more or less unnatural and hyper-sensitive. Fifthly, the strain of modern living adds greatly to the progressivly increasing demand on her nervous system. Thus, overactivity, inactivity, indifference, artifices of unnatural restraints, defunction of rightful expressions, and of healthy emotion, neglect of calls of Nature when felt, added to nervous irritation and strain of mechanical and ill-advised life-all the elements of disharmony and the jarring unnaturalness-make good health virtually impossible for her.