The Indifferent Women
Gilman addresses these women in a self-titled poem. She accuses them of selfishly keeping the skills which they have learned to help their families thrive for themselves instead of helping the entire world. Preferring the comforts of home, they haven't bothered to leave and try to expand their knowledge and share their skills. To Gilman this is an insult to the rest of society which desperately needs this maternal, feminine energy.
The Housewife
This woman has her own poem of which she is the credited narrator. She has blindly accepted her role as wife, mother, and homemaker without much complaining. She's satisfied by her work, taxing though it may prove. Tragically, however, her ingenuity and care are lost to the rest of the world because she's not allowed to step out of the home, so she raises children to go there for her. They too, however, possess her natural inclination to focus solely on the immediate family needs without consideration to the entirety of existence.
The Young Wife
She too receives an address from Gilman. This young woman has only been married a few years and seems quite content with her lot, serving her husband in exchange for praise and affection. Gilman urges her to reconsider, reminding her about all of her girlhood aspirations to change the world. Perhaps the young wife would benefit both her family and herself by expanding her horizons in order to make better informed decisions and hopefully to do something valuable to the rest of the world with that information.
