Victorian Expectations of Women
Women in Victorian Era England were expected to be domestic and productive. As Abrams (2001) states, “She was pious, respectable and busy - no life of leisure for her” (para. 6). Men were intended to take to the public sphere and participate in business, creating a distinct separation between the home and the outside world. These two spheres further cemented the idea of distinct gender roles, and a woman outside of the house became a rarity during this time period. When women did leave the house, it was to visit the poor. Subsequently, philanthropy became a womanly duty and an expectation for those who could afford it (Abrams, 2001). According to society, women were expected to follow certain rules. A woman’s code of conduct seemed to revolve around her social life. For example, if she was unmarried and under the age of thirty, she should not been seen alone in the company of a male; she should also never visit a man alone unless she was visiting him for professional or business reasons. In addition, she was expected to not dance with the same person for more than three times at one ball. She was also not supposed to “cut” anyone, which meant ignoring someone after encountering him or her in a social setting (Pool, 1993).
Prior to the Victorian Era, women often worked with their husbands or brothers in a family-run shop. The families lived either above or close to the shop, requiring little to no commuting for their work day. This allowed women more freedom to work and easily tend to their domestic needs throughout the day. However, with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, commuting to work became more of a societal norm and spurned the inability of a middle-class woman to hold jobs, since work became the man’s domain. Women were again left in the home to take care of the domestic duties, primarily because the attitude during the Era was that, while physically weaker than men, women were morally superior. They were to create a home that allowed men to escape the harsh realities of life and find solace in their home’s moral uprightness, a departure from the corrupt world outside of the home. In addition, Victorian women were seen as natural mothers and were expected to raise and educate children, which led to a change in how women’s education was handled (Hughes, n.d.).
Prior to the Victorian Era, women often worked with their husbands or brothers in a family-run shop. The families lived either above or close to the shop, requiring little to no commuting for their work day. This allowed women more freedom to work and easily tend to their domestic needs throughout the day. However, with the onset of the Industrial Revolution, commuting to work became more of a societal norm and spurned the inability of a middle-class woman to hold jobs, since work became the man’s domain. Women were again left in the home to take care of the domestic duties, primarily because the attitude during the Era was that, while physically weaker than men, women were morally superior. They were to create a home that allowed men to escape the harsh realities of life and find solace in their home’s moral uprightness, a departure from the corrupt world outside of the home. In addition, Victorian women were seen as natural mothers and were expected to raise and educate children, which led to a change in how women’s education was handled (Hughes, n.d.).