Many middle-class and elite women followed the same thought pattern as most 19th-century men, that women should focus on self-preservation of their morality, the improvement of society and being domestic wives (lecture). This ideal of true femininity was in direct contradiction with working-class women's definition of femininity and with changing patterns of work in the United States. Because middle-class and elite women did not view working women as "real women," these women often ostracized working-class women, which caused tensions and increased class divisions (lecture) . Additionally, this class divide among women most likely contributed to the slow progression of the women's rights movement that began in the second half of the 19th century. While men were reluctant to accept changing definitions of femininity, many middle-class and elite women were also reluctant to accept these changes and began to have more hostile relationships with lower-class women.