Mistreatment Of Women In The Victorian Era Essay

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The Mistreatment of Women During the Victorian Era
“The day may be approaching when the whole world will recognize woman as the equal of man.” (Susan B. Anthony) The Victorian era was an extremely difficult time for women in Great Britain. They were subject to gross inequalities such as, not being able to; control their own earnings, education, and marriage. As well as having a lack of equality within marriage, women had poor working conditions, and an immense unemployment rate as well. Not only was the fact that women were viewed as second-class citizens and had limited rights compared to men during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries a major problem, but women were also held to a much different standard, and expected to carry out many
In addition to being predestined to be married, a woman in the Victorian era was to be a virgin, and remain free from the thought of love or sexuality until she was married. The same rule did not apply to men; they were free to do as they pleased. Though most women were expected to marry, those of a certain age were expected to remain unmarried spinsters.
Women turning to prostitution were not a rarity during this time period; it was legal, and seemed to be the only economic option for some women. In Sarah Stickney Ellis’s 1839 book, The Woman of England: Their Social Duties and Domestic Habits, she explains that the ways women act can be directly tied to the unwritten rules that have been set by society: “The long-established customs of their country have placed in their hands the high and holy duty of cherishing and protecting the minor morals of life, from whence springs all that is elevated in purpose, and glorious in action” (Ellis 1611). The author conveys that society controls and clearly defines what type of attitude and activities are to be expected of a
One most common view is that the history of women’s employment, similar to how the history of women’s legal and political rights turned out, was just a gradual evolution. The second popular view is that the rights of women were changed when the economic status was improved. As Britain became more industrialized, people began moving to the cities, and it is said that as they moved they simply moved on to working in factories, and workhouses. Although employment did not come that easily for women, the working conditions were horrible, and women were paid significantly less than men. Another big controversy at the start up of women working in factories and workhouses was that they were taking jobs from men, who were thought to deserve these jobs over

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