Ethel Dench Puffer Howes [SEP] occupation
Ethel Dench Puffer Howes
Ethel Dench Puffer Howes (10 October, 1872–1950) was an American psychologist and feminist organizer.
The ideal life must be that in which every act has a meaning for the whole, in which every purpose comes to fruition. Life is a unity, and responsibility is its matchword: for responsibility means obligation, a bond, one part of life answering to another part, a close-woven texture. - Puffer Howes, January 18
As one of the first women to embark on a
higher education for women was an avenue not only for individual women to find fulfilling purpose in their lives, but also to expand the roles of women in society and overcome institutionalized sexism. Her position within this social movement shifted dramatically in 1908 when she accepted the marriage proposal of Benjamin Howes who had recently completed his graduate work in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and had become an expert in construction.
Marriage vs. career.
After marrying Benjamin Howes in August 1908, Ethel Dench Puffer Howes, as she was