Women in the Victorian Era
From corsets to complexion, a woman's goal was first and foremost to be beautiful at all times.
A man, marriage, and children (and only in that order) was the duty of every able-bodied woman during the nineteenth century. To ensure that, looking good took up a fair amount of every woman's time.
Complexion
Unlike the bronze goddesses of today, pale complexions were coveted 150 years ago. The lighter the skin, the more you were perceived to be amongst the upper class, and that bettered your prospects for a good marriage. Make-up (or face paints) were to be avoided at all costs. That was for tawdry tarts such as those in the theater.
Comportment
In a way, a woman's behavior could make up for a lack of outward beauty. A lady's wit was highly valued as long as it didn't outshine the men in the room. Remember, women were seen as mostly ornamental, so even if the lady was particularly intelligent, she must never steer the conversation but rather complement it.
Careers
Women were expected to stay at home and run the household so the husband could focus on making money instead of domestic decisions. However, some women did work outside the home. The bulk of these jobs were made up of domestic servants, working in other peoples' homes. Lower class women also often worked in factories or industrial jobs. But there were also some women who were teachers or writers (though they usually published under pseudonyms).
Children
No matter which class you belonged to, children were a desirable asset, so it was your duty as a woman to have as many as you could. For the upper class, it was important to have a male heir to pass on the family wealth. For the lower classes, children were extra workers to help with the family farm, stores or put into domestic service. The down side to this was the actual labor and delivery itself. Infant and mother mortality rates were high.
College
Education? Forget about it. Women were to be wives and mothers. Period. No matter the station of society. And even if you didn't snag a husband, you were expected to remain uneducated and take a position in childcare by helping other family members or becoming a nanny or governess. However, one acceptable school was Queens College in Harley Street, London (founded in 1848). Here a woman could receive an education in becoming…wait for it…a governess.
The Victorian era was definitely not a time of great freedom for women in general…but then again how much freedom do 9-5 working mothers have today?
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