為了消弭空間配置的差異給女性帶來的禁錮，吉爾曼鼓吹一種居住空間的重構，透過對於家庭與社區空間的重新界定與設計，讓女性能夠從家庭的束縛當中解放，並使得女性能進入公共空間、參與公眾事務，為社會的未來帶來進一步正面的影響。而吉爾曼在《她鄉》當中所提及的空間上的配置與特色，以及她鄉人民的生活方式與信念，反映出了她對於對社會的重新塑造以及對於從家庭中被解放後的女性對社會的影響力的重視。
本文第一章強調吉爾曼對空間與性別議題的重視，並且將此點反映在她的著作上。最後點出空間的重構對女人的解放有深刻的影響。第二章討論她鄉女子對於家的觀念與居住空間的設計，如何呼應了吉爾曼對於改造家庭空間所提出的種種看法及措施；並藉由與父權社會中的傳統家庭之對比，來突顯她鄉女子既不被家庭所束縛，又能完全感受到在家裡的自由與自在的一種理想生活。第三章則是將家庭這個觀念擴充到整個國家。在她鄉這個國度，家庭事務外移成為社區事務，女人們有了社區意識與學習的機會，傳統父權社會對於公私領域的劃分被完全打破。在她鄉裡，國家即是家，整個社群就是一個大家庭，因此每個人民都是家的一份子，都致力於使整個國家更進步。最後一章則是先說明雖然有些批評家對《她鄉》這部作品提出質疑，但不可否認的是《她鄉》對人類居住空間及女性的解放兩方面，在19世紀末的美國還是有著實質的貢獻，並展現吉爾曼對男女合作的社會的樂觀態度與期待。
Charlotte Perkins Gilman advocated a reconfiguration of the lived space which would help break down the public/private division of space and enable women to be liberated from domesticity. If women were freed from the confinement of the domestic sphere, they would have the chance to participate in the pubic matters and contribute to the greater good of the society. Also, the allocation of space and the lifestyle belief which are mentioned by Gilman in Herland reveal that she stresses the importance of the redesign of the society and women’s contribution to the society.
Chapter One shows that space and its relation to gender equality is one of the major concerns in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s writings. She insisted that changing the design of physical space is essential to women’s liberation from their domestic confinement. Chapter Two reveals the limitations in the traditional conception of home and family and discusses Gilman’s proposals for spatial arrangement in private residences. The reconfiguration of home and family in Herland is also analyzed in detail. Chapter Three centers on how the public-private division is broken through the extension of the home to the whole nation. Their country is their home; the entire society is a big family. All the Herlanders are members of this big family, each dedicating to the progress of the country. Therefore, the use of space in Herland duly reflects this strong collective identity. The last chapter concludes the thesis by evaluating Gilman’s contributions as a feminist writer. Although Herland is not entirely free from contradictions and may therefore be subject to criticism by contemporary feminists, Gilman’s contributions to women’s liberation through the reconfiguration of the lived space are undeniable. After summarizing Gilman’s concepts of space and society, this final chapter shows that Herland points up to Gilman’s ultimate ideal for the human society—a society in which women and men will eventually cooperate equally without spatial segregation in order to create a better society.
