Women

Research the role of women (“ladies”) in upper-class Victorian England. What attitudes, actions, or ideals did they represent?

At the time of the Victorian Era in England, the [|roles of women in society] had spread throughout the classes. The middle to lower classed roles of women had not changed very much. They were still hoping to marry into higher classes, many of them worked very hard. In addition, all classes of women needed to know how to sing because at this time, it was expected that a woman ready for marriage could sing. However, there were more specific things that women in high classed society were expected to know and do. Among these things, the women were expected to manage the home and the household jobs, but when "out on the town", women were expected to be attending all social parties and balls, dancing, and never be left alone. In fact, a woman would always have an escort and when a woman was walking with another woman you knew that both of them were unmarried. Women were expected to know more than one language. In addition, there were certain traits that a woman was supposed to portray themselves through their looks and body language, the biggest expression of their class and personality was through their clothing. Women were defined by their fashions, etiquette, furnishings, social engagements, religious devotion and charitable activity. Women were seen as innocent, virtuous, biddable, dutiful, and had no intellectual opinion. They were expected to be weak and helpless, like a [|“fragile delicate flower”.]  //“// //The first purpose of Clothes. . . was not warmth or decency, but ornament. . . . Warmth he [the primitive human being] found in the toils of the chase; or amid dried leaves, in his hollow tree, in his bark shed, or natural grotto: but for Decoration he must have Clothes.” (Thomas Carlyle)//

A very important part of being an upper class lady in the Victorian time was not only acting the part but more importantly looking the part. They were supposed to look elegant. The way [|they dressed was very critical] in putting a women in the upper class social group. The mid-nineteenth century lady was a [|vision of elegance]and grace in beautiful gowns trimmed with frills, lace, ruche and ribbons. The fashion conscious lady created this appearance with a combination of the "uncomfortable and inconvenient" with the "frivolous and decorative." Numerous heavy petticoats, layers of underclothes, metal hoops, tight corsets under-pointed boned bodices of whalebone and steel were hidden by ornately accented undersleeves, collars, pelerines, fans, gloves, hats, and parasols. The finished look was of elegance and grace with an //illusion// of ease and comfort.

Women were judged by the presentation of their bodies and their homes. Homes of upper class women were supposed to be impeccable with the richest of furniture and decorations. Other upper class women judged other women by the physical appeal of the dress and their home. Women were also [|defined and judged] by their etiquette and social engagements. Social gatherings were a very important part of being an upper class women. They were many unwritten rules about how ladies should act in social gatherings in order to act in a respectable manner. “A lady should always have an easy, becoming and graceful movement while engaged in a quadrille or promenade. It is more pleasing to the gentleman.” Women were always supposed to act in a way that was ‘pleasing’ towards men because men were more powerful than women. Women were supposed to not have opinions and leave the intellect world and the political world to the men. In the current day, upper class women are free to marry whoever they want and do not have to worry about sexism when it comes to inheritance. However, in Victorian time women had little say in their personal life. Before marriage they were controlled by their fathers and after marriage they were controlled by their husbands. Women were not offered a choice of career or getting a job- their career path was consisted of being a mother and wife and managing the household servants. In the [|marriage] they were supposed to the entertainment for their husbands by singing and/or playing an instrument. Any decisions affecting the family were made by the man and the wife was supposed to support her husband no matter what. The only decisions that women made in the house had to do with which food would be served by the servants and make sure that the children were being taught good and religious morals. This is similar to present day because upper class women are supposed to look very neat and clean with impressive clothes however, now-a-days upper class women act differently than women did back then.

Women had little say in their personal life and were usually controlled by their father or husband. Women had one career choice, Marriage. They were expected to be able to sing, play an instrument, and speak some French or Italian. They were also not allowed to make decisions. The only subjects women had any say in was selecting the menu and making sure her children were taught moral values. Since the married or born into Nobility and Gentry all of the inheritance, land, titles, and wealth, went to the oldest male relative, only a small amount of money but aside for them. A small dowry was left for unmarried women when her father died, but it was so little that she would become very poor after their father or husbands death. 

Looking back at how the ladies of the upper class lived their life many would believe that they had it easy but that is not true. Unmarried Women w  ould talk together, but marriage gave the women a new role as a manager of house and a mother leaving her with less time to talk with friends. Women in the Victorian era were not allowed to do any work; //"Ladies were ladies in those days; they did not do things themselves, they told others what to do and how to do it" ([|Harrison and Ford, 226]).// The work was very important and sometimes hard, and a lot was expected of the woman to manage home and household smoothly without failure.



Work Cited: http://www.victorianweb.org/art/costume/nunn9.html http://www.victoriana.com/1850sfashion/victorianfashionhistory1850.htm http://crayzray.tripod.com/clpage/writtings/other/victorian_women.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_02.shtml http://livinghistory.wikidot.com/clothing-fashion

Pictures: http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/dumaurier/47.html http://www.fashion-era.com/images/Victorians/1895tailmarb.jpg http://www.st-marys.hull.sch.uk/sites/history/images/Victorian_fashions.jpg http://fashion-era.com/images/Victorians/janstrp545.jpg