Historical Women Simulator

Welcome to Historical Women Simulator. Try your best to be the greatest woman there ever was! [[Start]] Please keep in mind that eras and experiences differ across the world. This game mostly focuses on Western culture.

Please select a level to play. [[1800]] (if:(history: where its name contains "1800")'s length >= 1)[//Level played//] [[1900]] (if:(history: where its name contains "1900")'s length >= 1)[//Level played//] [[1940]] (if:(history: where its name contains "1940")'s length >= 1)[//Level played//] [[Teacher mode ->Passwords]]

[[Back to level selection ->Start]] Ahh, the 19th century. A fresh breath of air. It's not going to be fresh for long, because the Industrial Revolution is coming! Are you ready for it? [[Start day 1! ->Start 1800s]]

[[Back to level selection ->Start]] The early 1900s is an interesting time. Technology is rapidly advancing, Society is, too, but it doesn't want to admit that yet. (set: $password to (prompt: "What is the password?", "colouradjectivenoun") ) (if: $password is "purpleenthusiastictable")[You have unlocked this level! [[Let's go! ->Start 1900s]] ] (else:)[That is not the right password for this level. [[Please try again ->1900]] ]

[[Back to level selection ->Start]] I believe I don't even need to set the scene here, you know what happened around this time. But in case you don't: the Second World War is currently ongoing. This war is a little different from the first one. The population still has not fully recovered in the affected countries, and once again much of (mostly) the male population is temporarily or permanently lost to the war. This means that you, along with other women, have to pick up the work left undone at the homefront. At the same time, the numbers in armies were also lacking, and women were accepted into various army positions more often. Your family, factories and stores //and// the army all need you. Are you ready to choose the best path? (set: $password to (prompt: "What is the password?", "Password goes here") ) (if: $password is "aletta")[You have unlocked this level! [[Let's go! ->Start 1940s]] ] (else:)[That is not the right password for this level. [[Please try again ->1940]] ]

Good morning from your humble home! You're living a peaceful life with your husband John and 8 kids. Yes, 8. Reliable birth control has not been invented yet, of course, and besides - life expectancy is not that high. Regardless, life is pleasantly boring. Every day, your activities consist of caring for your children, sweeping, laundry, tending to the garden, more laundry, cooking dinner, did I mention laundry yet..? John has not touched a broom in his lifetime, but luckily enough you produced a few daughters who help you with the household. Your sons are all at work in the fields today, as is your husband. When your household tasks are finished, you homeschool your daughters. All in all, it's been very peaceful. There is just one problem... [[Which problem? ->You have a horrible husband]]

Unfortunately, your family starved. Grains and vegetables only grow back so fast... Guess you just weren't quite wealthy enough to live in this fast-paced and exciting age. [[Try this level again ->Start 1800s]] or [[select a different level ->Start]].

Oops, turns out those newfangled factories don't quite follow OSHA regulations yet. You thought the moderate hearing loss and tinnitus were already bad enough, but today couldn't get much worse. A frayed thread on the loom caused the machine to break and you were severely injured. It's the 1800s, so you get infected with... something, and the exhaustion has left your immune system in shambles. I don't think I need to tell you what happens next. Anyway, you're easily replaceable because you were too expensive anyway, your daughters are much cheaper workers. You can [[try this level again ->Start 1800s]] or [[select a different level to play ->Start]].

In this time, women are very dependent on their husbands. Not only does your husband earn all the money in the household, he also has complete authority. That means he can do whatever* he wants with his money. He is required by law to provide for you financially, but nobody can really do anything about it if he makes poor decisions. This means that the recent ''gambling addiction'' he picked up will prove to be an issue. John has been trying to gain more wealth to increase the family's social status, but unfortunately he is not great with money, and your children go to bed hungry some days. Your first option is to file for neglect in the hopes of receiving a sum of money from the courts. The chances that this will work out for you are not great. Another option is that you also find paid work. It's not much, but any money would help. You will have to ask your husband for permission to do so. What do you do? [[File for neglect]] [[Ask permission to work]] `*This is a bit more nuanced than stated here, but within the constraints of this game it's fair enough to say "mostly everything".`

You find work in a factory, doing work much like what you had already been doing, but simply at a much larger scale. Your husband is still irresponsible with money, but you make up for it with your measly salary by being able to afford bread every once in a while. The money is better than when working from home, and you are rapidly picking up the required skills. The working days are still way too long, and you spend almost your entire day in the factory. Maybe you're imagining it, but your hearing seems worse lately.. Luckily you can't hear anyone over the noise of the machinery anyway, so that's not a concern. Your family finishes breakfast and you ask your daughters to clear the table. When the tablecloth is lifted, you notice the poor state that the table is in. You'll have to ask John to make a new one, but no time to ponder. Time to get back to work. Financial freedom, here comes you! On the short walk to work, you realise you feel frustrated that you're starting to overlook things in the household. Your daughters do what they can, but they simply don't have the experience yet, and besides it's still your job. The youngest, Eva, can't even reach the stovetop yet! Thoughts of being a bad housewife cloud your mind. You sure didn't expect to be thinking about (text-colour:#9c36b5)[a table] all day long... [[It's fine, let's work ->You die in a factory]]

You file for neglects at the courts. There are no signs of intentional neglect, so they cannot support you financially. This means that you will remain economically dependent on your overly impulsive husband. After all, you can't divorce him, since only men can initiate divorce! With little to money left, the best thing you can do is use the food from the fields that John and your sons work on. Normally you sell it, but money is of little use anyway in this situation. You process most of whatever has grown and usually make some sort of unappetizing soup or stew. Today, your youngest son brought in some carrots. Not the best yield, but it'll make do. While preparing the vegetables, your daughter asks you to have a look at something. The leaves on the carrot she's holding are (text-colour:#9c36b5)+(bg:black)[''purple'']! She asks you if the carrot is fine to eat. The root itself looks normal, so you add it to the pot of beige sludge that's supposed to be dinner. However, something's telling you that you should remember that carrot... [[Never mind it, let's make some grain soup ->Your family starved...]]

Your husband agrees to let you work. Great, more money to gamble away! Any money you earn is his anyway. Under the guise of being a progressive man, he allows you to have a job as long as you stay in the house. Your daughters are grown enough to take on some household tasks. This means that you can make clothing and designs to be sold on the markets. The timing of your career, however, is very unfortunate. The job earns very little and it takes more time than you have available. The tools and handicraft skills that you use for yourself and your family are just not enough to keep up with established businesses that have the necessary modern equipment. You could attempt to keep up with working from home by renting expensive tools and machinery to increase your output. There is also a new factory close to home, which requires you to leave your home, but it will pay more. [[Rent needleworking equipment]] [[Work in a factory]]

You scrape together all the money you can spare. The salesperson at the counter tells you they can rent you some very basic manually operated machinery and standard quality needles. Even though the price is definitely marked up from what the items are actually worth, you take what you can get. [[Get to sewing!]]

With your husband at the battlefront, you are left to manage the household on your own. You spent some time getting an education and do not have any children yet, so you have to provide mostly for yourself and prepare for the return of your husband. Your house is small, and taking care of it does not take much time. Modern inventions have made cleaning much more efficient. This leaves you with enough time for a job to supplement your husband's salary. Even though you have spent time studying, your learned skills are not relevant in wartime. Which occupation do you choose? [[Factory work]]: Maybe even more so than in previous levels, factories are very important. Of course war supplies were important to manufacture, but daily life also continued on, and people still need things like... socks and all that shit. [[Do nursing work]]: You are the sole caretaker of the house, so you cannot leave for the front lines. However, your local hospital also desperately needs workers to take care of all the wounded, sick and otherwise harmed by war or just a regular papercut.

For the amount of work you're doing, you're sure not getting paid a lot. The factory is loud, dirty, hot and dangerous. But deep down, you know it's good. The support of women in the economy is giving everyone more opportunities, and it's quite nice to have a job to dedicate yourself to. You've also received news that the people at the front lines are motivated by seeing the new workforces at home. This might not be so bad after all. You hope you get to keep this job, even if it hurts your ears and your knees. Maybe you'll even invest in some war bonds. [[Back to work! ->After the war]]

You work at the local hospital. It's been turned into a care center specifically for soldiers and people otherwise harmed through war. It's simultaneously rewarding and difficult. Some days, the work is a welcome distraction from the outside world. The pay also helps - it's more than you would have gotten if you had continued to become a stenographer. One downside: nobody ever told you about the horrors you would see. You're glad that you found a community in your fellow nurses, but don't get too attached: they keep leaving. Either to the battlefront or fleeing the country. Maybe you should make a change too? Of course, you can't leave the country, but you do have options. [[Stay in nursing]]: if you're comfortable where you are, why change it? [[Help at the battlefront]]: the pay is much higher at the battlefront. There's probably a good reason for that, though...

You are the daughter of the village's doctor. You live with five of your siblings. Two have already moved out. Still, it's busy in the home. You are generally the quietest and mostly enjoy reading and hearing your father's work stories. After finishing mandatory education, you followed a similar path to most women in this age. The only higher education opportunities there were available were needleworking and... etiquette class. Boring, you thought. So you stopped, and instead learned languages at home from your parents and from books. However, the occasional sewing job here and a French textbook there won't pay any bills. You're eager to put your skills to use, and walk in your father's footsteps in the field of medicine and healthcare. You decide to spring into action - you must find a way to achieve your goals! You have two options: you can either find a way to get into medicine directly, or you can choose to get involved in activism and politics to change the laws for everyone. [[Become a student]] [[Become an activist]]

Guess what? Great news - your output of products doubled! You're definitely not rich, or even wealthy, but there's food on the table. Sometimes even a protein! As long as your daughters do the housework, you can put the full 14 hours a day in to get by. You survive, and you pray that one day your husband will invest more strategically. With your most recent payment, it seems like the businessman who employed you has accidentally left a note from a customer in. It says ''(text-colour:#099268)[enthusiastic]''. No idea what that means, but you keep it on your desk because it looks motivating. You can now [[play the 1800s again ->Start 1800s]] or [[go to the select level screen ->Start]].

It's true, no woman has completed a university degree yet, or even attended high school, but that will not stop you. You have done your research and not found any way yet, though. Luckily, your father's job as a doctor gets him some connections. You find a way to obtain a pharmacist diploma! Your skills in language, together with this diploma, make you an interesting case. You could become a pharmacist right away, or you could continue your career in academia. [[Become a pharmacist]] [[Continue academia]]

A surprising number of women agree with your viewpoints, and you often hold discussions. Talking won't get you anywhere, so you need to decide what to stand up for. [[Voting rights]]: despite working, and in many cases, paying taxes, women still are not allowed to vote. Time to do something about it! [[Education rights]]: you want to educate yourself further, but you currently cannot. So, let's change laws to allow women to attend secondary and higher education!

You try to correspond with officials about the word of the law. According to the current rules, you fit the requirements for a voting citizen. So then why can you not vote? To that, the council tells you: "oops, we forgot to tell you women aren't citizens!" Then, they change the law to exclude women, no exceptions. Isn't that great? Maybe a [[different path ->Start 1900s]] is better, or you can [[select a different level ->Start]].

You attempt to contact councils, schools, governments. Unfortunately, there just is not enough of an argument to convince them. After all, the woman's place is in the household and the occasional factory or department store. Sorry, guess you'll have to [[try again ->Start 1900s]] or [[try another level ->Start]]!

Your job as a pharmacist is more interesting than needlework, but it's still rather bland. Though seeing case studies you learn more than before. However, you feel like something's missing. You don't want to be the exceptional case that got into pharmacy, because your aim was to make a bigger impact, and that can't be done alone. Besides, it's still the 1900s and there are hardly any worker laws. The long days of standing with no breaks are starting to take a toll on you... Maybe a [[different path ->Start 1900s]] can bring more interesting changes? Or [[try a different level ->Start]].

Through very hard work, you finish high school and university and you obtain diplomas. Not only do you get to have the job that you dreamed of, you also get to use your status and power to influence young women like yourself to have a better life. Your willpower and intelligence inspire many and you spark discussion all over the country. Even with all of this status and all of your accomplishments... you still are only allowed to be a female-specific physician. Regardless, this is more than you could have ever hoped for. Over time, and with the help of like-minded people, you even contribute to the changing of laws! When you're ready, you can now unlock the next level with password (text-colour:#9c36b5)[aletta]. [[Play again ->Start 1900s]], or [[continue to another time! ->Start]]

You choose to keep working at the hospital. This way, you can still go home at night and prepare for when your husband returns. You figure it can't be long anymore. Around you, the narrative has started to change. While people were supportive of the nurses and other female workers at first, they forgot about it very quickly again. For the same amount of recognition as before, you now have to work at least twice as hard. Meanwhile, the people at the front are getting rewarded royally! At least, that's what it says on all the posters around town... If you [[try again ->Start 1940s]], maybe you can have a more rewarding life! Or [[a different time ->Start]] would be better for you.

After only a week at the front, you already start to regret your decision. Sure, the pay is better, but you're getting humiliated left and right by the soldiers. There is very little respect for the female workers, even from the people you're caring for. It's also dangerous, because, well, it's a battlefront. Simultaneously, any radio messages coming from back home sound contradictory. There, people are cheering women on, even stating that they are carrying the war. All these different voices are confusing you - which roles apply to you? Are you the strong housewife, continuing to make a good home even in wartime? Or one the people doing the behind-the-scenes work of the war? Maybe the soldiers are right, and you should go back home. But who will take care of the businesses in town? Should that not be you? This is a conflict that you would not get over quickly. However, this is the choice you have made, and now you only have one task: to do your job. [[Make another choice? ->Start 1940s]] Or [[play a different time? ->Start]]

Thank God, your husband made it back home safe. The war has come to an end, and life is going back to normal. Unfortunately, normal means normal - the government suddenly remembered you're married, and that means you have to quit working. If it's not convenient for them anymore... One benefit is that your dual income during the war has supported you well, and you get to celebrate peace and freedom. There are plenty of jobs for the men who returned from war, and you pick up needleworking again. Your time in the factory made you quite efficient with tools! You miss the freedom of work, but maybe staying in the house to recover is not so bad for now. Curious about a different path? [[Try the 1940s again ->Start 1940s]] or [[return to the Select Level screen ->Start]].

Welcome to Teacher Mode! The password for the 1900s is "(text-colour:#9c36b5)[purpleenthusiastictable]". The password for the 1940s is "(text-colour:#9c36b5)[aletta]". Enjoy! [[To game ->Start]]