Spinster tags "spinster" (meaning "...unmarried woman, typically an older woman beyond the usual age for marriage") as "derogatory" and "a good example of the way in which a word acquires strong connotations to the extent that it can no longer be used in a neutral sense." The 1828 and 1913 editions of "Merriam Webster's Dictionary" defined spinster in two ways: "1. A woman who spins, or whose occupation is to spin. 2. Law: An unmarried or single woman." By the 1800s, the term had evolved to include women who chose not to marry. During that century middle-class spinsters, as well as
The Spinster and Her Enemies The Spinster and Her Enemies The Spinster and Her Enemies: Feminism and Sexuality 1880–1930 is a 1985 book by the political scientist Sheila Jeffreys, in which the author discusses the change in sexual attitudes that occurred in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and criticizes the idea that this change represented a shift from sexual puritanism to sexual revolution. Jeffreys also examines feminist involvement in the Social Purity movement. The book received positive reviews, praising Jeffreys for her treatment of friendships between women. However, commentators have also suggested that the work forms part of a trend within