Separation
Originally women would have helped their husband or parents with the family business but as the 19th century came men were more and more frequently travelling to work instead. Wives, sisters and daughters were left out home to oversee the domestic chores but this was becoming a job for servants. By the 1830s women wore crinoline skirts which made it virtually impossible to do any chores.
Men were considered stronger yet morally superior to men. It was therefor a woman's job to instil this quality in any children. It was this power that women had in the home that was used as an argument against women getting the vote.
Education
To suit this new role women, rather than being taught to clean and cook middle class women were instead taught to have "accomplishments". Although even if educated and bright women were expected to pass it off with femininity and gracefulness for fear of being called a "blue stocking". A Blue Stocking was the name given to any women who spent too much time following intellectual pursuits. This was believed to be unattractive as it was stupid for women to try when men were obviously superior. Doctors actually said that a women, if educated would become less feminine and their ovaries would be damaged.
Marriage and sexuality
Women were expected to want marriage only as a means to have children not to satisfy any emotional or sexual satisfaction. A doctor, William Acton wrote in his medical text, The Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Organs in 1857 ‘the majority of women (happily for them) are not very much troubled by sexual feelings of any kind’
No comments:
Post a Comment