Queen Victoria Women

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Recommended: Women during the Victorian era

Sophomore Project Outline 2
The maternal image of Queen Victoria during Britain’s Victorian Era led to the rise of feminine domesticity, yet her progressive rule ironically ignited the rebellious rise of powerful woman idols who spurred gender equality through innovative feminist ideals.
Queen Victoria Induces Woman Advocacy
Great Britain’s maternal image of their monarchy set a feminine ideal of domesticity and home life for all classes of women, ironically contributing to the outbreak of feminists in Victorian society. Queen Victoria’s public figure revolved around her feminine image involving family, motherhood, and respectability. Known as the icon of domesticity and femininity, her public image spurred the suppression of women workers …show more content…

Queen Victoria grew to be known as the ‘mother of the nation’, and the death of her husband Albert caused Victoria to retreat to her home and “dodge public political engagements” (BBC). The lack of rule indicates Queen Victoria’s reliance on Albert, symbolizing the domesticity that the man holds over his wife. Victoria’s eventual increase in political activity illustrated her solidarity as she no longer had a husband to hold her back or to dictate her decisions for the country. Those against women stereotypes such as ‘Dinah Mulock Craik’, an English novelist and poet, became well known for their writing and advocacy for gender equality (Craik). Working women in All Ranks by Craik was centralized around the claim that “[woman] from our Queen downwards, are, and ought to be, objects of respect to the entire community” (Mitchell). Her stances on woman workers reached out to the lower-class body of women, whose financial and socioeconomic status forced them into labor and factory jobs. Craik’s essays surrounding the rights and normality of female workers earned her praise and popularity among a large majority of women, which spurred the beginning of female rights within the British community. This …show more content…

The transformation of Britain into an industrial nation created a huge impact on the ideal woman image (BBC). New work opportunities were presented for women of lower social status, and the influx of women in jobs further contributed to the controversy over female workers. Urban living evolved from the idealized image of woman in the home and hearth setting to a somewhat modernized equivalent between the two genders, as both worked to uphold their family. A “first wave” of feminists defended their right for better education and employment opportunities for middle and working class women (BBC). Voices such as Elia Lynn Linton contributed to the women’s struggle against a “society dominated by men” (Milligan). Due to the influx of women advocates and the rising popularity of woman’s education rights articles, some Universities widened their spectrum from men-only academies and majors to the occasional female classes and

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