Stereotypes Of Women During The Victorian Era

1505 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The changing status of women

For centuries, women have struggled to find their place in society. Women have always been seen as physically and intellectually inferior to men, and society’s stereotypes are the reason for it. Society standards are telling women how to act and how to look, and these stereotypes have an immense effect on how we expect women to be. The Europeans were no exception to this. Before the Victorian era, women were viewed as being lesser than and not quite matching up to men. However, the Victorian era brought about great change for the women’s movement. The Victorian era was detrimental to the evolution of women’s education, basic rights, and perception that developed a new way of thinking for all of Europe. Women prior to the Victorian era were …show more content…

Actually, many rights that we see as basic in modern times were withheld from these women. Heffer notes that in the pre Victorian era women could not get divorced, own property, legally protect their own bodies, vote, or hold political office; however, change was coming. First, the Infant Custody Act was passed in 1839 that legally gave women custody of any child she had fewer than seven in a court of law if she separated from her husband. This was a detrimental ruling because previously the custody was given to the husband no matter what. According to Heffer, divorce was finally made available for every one with the Matrimonial Causes Act in 1857. There was also an amendment to the Married Women’s Property Act which legally recognized women as individuals rather than property of their husbands. The evolution of women’s rights during the Victorian era was definitely the most critical and quick with women obtaining the right to divorce due to violence, keep any money she earned, and become entitled to child support within the following 15 years …show more content…

Yildrim proved that before the Victorian era, society had many views of women that were practically set in stone such as the idea that women were not only physically but also intellectually inferior to men. Society also perceived women as being a servant to her husband and children and believed that women were destined to become a wife and mothers and that’s as far as they would go (Gordon). According to Heffer, many people also believed that gender violence, such as rape and battery, were legal as long as the man did not kill his wife, and thought that women could not be sexual

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Seven Minute Life Of Marc Lepine

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the past there were many biases against women and their lack of abilities compared to men. Although the male perspective has changed over the past few centuries, there are many feminists who still fight for ...

    Read More

  • Women's Suffrage Dbq Essay

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 19th century women began to take action to change their rights and way of life. Women in most states were incapable to control their own wages, legally operate their own property, or sign legal documents such as wills. Although demoted towards their own private domain and quite powerless, some women took edge and became involved in parts of reform such as temperance and abolition. Therefore this ultimately opened the way for women to come together in an organized movement to battle for their own rights in such ways as equal education, labor, legal reform, and the occupations. As stated in the nineteenth amendment, a constitutional revision that established women’s citizen rights to vote.

    Read More

  • Women's Suffrage in the 1800’s-19th Century

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women had not only been denied the voting rights and the lack of education before the nineteenth century, they had also been restricted the right to own property. Women who were married were basically owned by their husbands, up until the mid nineteenth century, so they had no regulations with money or their property (Hermes 1). If you were unmarried, however, you were allowed to be owner of property, but when they married the women became property of the man (Talbott 1). As stated previously before, women who were not married were allowed to vote as well as hold property, but a small amount of women did. Marriage was a disadvantage for the women, because they lost most of the rights they had previously. They were not allowed to buy or sell property (Erickson 1).

    Read More

  • 18th and 19th Century Attitudes Towards Women

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    18th and 19th Century Attitudes Towards Women From the author of both sources we can immediately gather that they both relate to middle-class women. Working class women were on the whole illiterate, as they were offered no education, so therefore would not be purchasing, 'The Magazine of Domestic Economy'. For Florence Nightingale to be able to write diaries, this demanded a middle-class upbringing. With the ability of hindsight, we know that Florence Nightingale was a very unusual woman, as the, 'Lady with the Lamp' tendered to many injured soldiers in the Crimean war. Despite experiencing the nurturing into being the 'typical woman', such as attending tea parties and presenting yourself respectably as a lady, she seems bored by this monotonous routine, as suggested when she finishes her entry with the sentence, "And that is all."

    Read More

  • Gilman and Weber: Their Views on the Family

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    On a personal note, in researching a paper on marriage and divorce a few semesters ago, I found that in the early Victorian era (1935-1901), a woman entering marriage had almost no rights. All her property automatically became her husband's. Even if she had her own land, her husband received the income from it. A husband had the right to lock up his wife. If he beat her, she had no legal redress. The law mostly removed itself from marital relations. Married women were put into the same category as lunatics, idiots, outlaws and children, and treated as such.

    Read More

  • Carpetbaggers Dbq

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women were not allowed to vote, own land separate from their husbands if they were married. Their primary duties were to be kept at home to have and take care of children due to the misogynistic ideals of men. They had very little control over their own bodies, with the Comstock Laws contraceptives were outlawed so they had very little choice of their own if they wanted a child or not. Thanks to the influence of magnificent women such as Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger and, Jane Addams they were able to be heard, stand up for their ideals and slowly enact changes. Changes in the form of wage inequality, the right to contraceptives, and the 19th amendment, which allowed women to vote. Although many of the changes the women were fighting for happened much later than 1900.

    Read More

  • Inequality of Women During 1840 to 1968

    1910 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.

    Read More

  • Women's Rights Essay

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    As far back as the Paleolithic era, women had different rights then men. Some of the injustices women faced include, not having a right to vote, a voice in law, and women could not enter most occupations. Women were not even allowed to get a college education. Once a women was married she had no rights, or in the case that the women got divorced she had no legally could not have custody of her children. Many religious believed God created women to be inferior. It was considered a natural law that men were above women. When women started the fight for more rights, it started out as a political and legal fight and eventually turned into a social and economic fight as well. Many women who started the fight, died before they could see there work pay off, including Susan Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucy Stone. In the U.S, Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren fought for the addition of women’s emancipation in the constitution. During the late 18th century, in the United States men had many rights while women had very few. Women also could not keep their own wages. One right woman maintained was the right to own property if their husband died.

    Read More

  • Women In The Victorian Era

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Victorian Era had lasted from the years 1837-1901. People in this era were known through their social class and how efficiently they were able to present themselves. Those who were obligated to carry themselves is such a proficient manner, were the women of Victorian Era. Although they had been expected to perform and execute many tasks, they were never recognized just as equal to the men in society. They were never acknowledged to make judgments or decisions, rather were best known for marriage, prostitution, and motherhood. As the men, dominated and took control of every decision possible. They were known for their aggressive and independent attitude. This led an extraordinary women named, Charlotte Brontë to begin a revolution of change and improvement in the social standings. As her living in the Victorian Era, set her upon a journey of many hardships but her well-known classics, Jane Eyre, depicted her strength and courage to step up for women equality and portray who she truly was in society.

    Read More

  • The Women's Suffrage Movement

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...r equality of women whose only representation at the time was through husbands. The brave few who courageously fought in the movement reformed our country and society today. Women such as Alice Paul and Susan B Anthony not only brought on equality for women today these women also brought on a new way women thought towards themselves. Today women think of themselves as independent smart citizens who can be whoever they want to be, politicians, doctors, scientists, etc. In addition women today can wear what they choose. Along with the right of equality and the ability for women to vote there is a responsibility, women should be informed of the political candidates before they vote. All of the freedom we have is a privilege we often take for granted as we don’t think about those women who suffered, abused, and ridiculed for these rights that we have today.

    Read More

  • Women and Men of the Victorian Era

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    The literary titles by Frances Power Cobbe, Sarah Stickney Ellis, Charlotte Bronte, Anne Bronte, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Sir Henry Newbolt, and Caroline Norton reveal society's view on women and men during the Victorian era. Throughout the Victorian era, women were treated as inferior and typically reduced to roles as mothers and wives. Some women, however, were fortunate to become governesses or schoolteachers. Nevertheless, these educated women were still at the mercy of men. Males dominated the opinions of women, and limited their influence in society. From an early age, young men were trained to be dominant figures and protectors over their home and country. Not until after World War I would women have some of these same opportunities as men.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Ancient Egyptian Society

    3830 Words  | 8 Pages

    Women could initiate legal proceedings, and they were responsible for their own actions. They could be the executors of wills and even sign their own marriage contrac...

    Read More

  • The History Of The Women's Rights Movement

    1394 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality,” this was stated by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a very crucial women’s suffragist. Over time, women’s history has evolved due to the fact that women were pushing for equal rights. Women were treated as less than men. They had little to no rights. The Women’s Rights Movement in the 1800’s lead up to the change in women’s rights today. This movement began in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention. For the next 72 years, women continually fought for equal rights. In 1920, they gained the right to vote which ended the movement and opened the opportunity for more change in women’s lives. Because of the Women’s Rights Movement, women today are able to vote, receive

    Read More

  • 19th Century Attitudes Toward Women

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    Traditionally, women during the 19th century were expected to submit to the patriarch of the house and obediently follow his commands and the commands of society. According to Elaine Fortin, writer of “Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women,” society’s expectations of married women included catering to their husbands by caring for the children, performing household chores, and preparing all meals so their husbands could focus all of their attention “on the matters of the world.” To broaden this definition of a wife’s duties during the 19th century, Judy Brady, an activist for women’s rights and renowned author, said women had to satisfy their husbands sexually but refrained from soliciting sex, listened to their husband’s problems but did not complain of a “wife’s duties,” were good cooks, waited hand-and-foot on their husbands and their guests, babysat the children, and more in her essay “I Want A Wife.” As an effort to overturn the stereotypical view of women and their marginalization, two waves of feminist movements were organized in order to establish “Women’s Rights.” In today’s society, women’s rights have

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Women in Advertising

    2734 Words  | 6 Pages

    Women – beautiful, strong matriarchal forces that drive and define a portion of the society in which we live – are poised and confident individuals who embody the essence of determination, ambition, beauty, and character. Incomprehensible and extraordinary, women are persons who possess an immense amount of depth, culture, and sophistication. Society’s incapability of understanding the frame of mind and diversity that exists within the female population has created a need to condemn the method in which women think and feel, therefore causing the rise of “male-over-female” domination – sexism. Sexism is society’s most common form of discrimination; the need to have gender based separation reveals our culture’s reluctance to embrace new ideas, people, and concepts. This is common in various aspects of human life – jobs, households, sports, and the most widespread – the media. In the media, sexism is revealed through the various submissive, sometimes foolish, and powerless roles played by female models; because of these roles women have become overlooked, ignored, disregarded – easy to look at, but so hard to see.

    Read More

More about Stereotypes Of Women During The Victorian Era

Open Document