The Difference in Roles of Men vs Women
Have you ever wondered the difference in Men and Women’s roles in the Victorian Era time was? Although women may have had it harder than men, but nothing was fun and games for the men either. They had to go out and work for the money to supply for the wives and children. But the difference in their roles were horribly different, but followed by every Victorian man and women.
So, what honestly was the difference in the Women and the Men during the Victorian time. Well, to begin women were the housewives and care takers. As for the men were the suppliers and the strength of the family. Most Victorian men and women were known as “separate spheres,” separate spheres mean only coming together at breakfast and dinner
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Without him his family wouldn’t even be able to buy food. On top of the man's working duties he was to prepare the next generation for work , and everybody else that was about to come after him (Gender Roles of men and women). Men owned all property and everything along with the property. They were the guardian of the family members and the head of the family (Gender Roles of men and women). Men were never around but during breakfast, and dinner which wasn’t a lot of time for them to see their …show more content…
Victorian-Era.org. September 9,2015.http://www.victorian-era.org/gender-roles-of-victorian-era.html. February 7, 2017
Kathryn Hughes. Discovering Literature: Romantics and Victorians. British Library. October 3, 2013. https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/gender-roles-in-the-19th-century. February 7, 2017
Lynn Abrams. Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britian. BBC-History. September 18, 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_01.shtml. February 7,
Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
Reagin, Nancy. “Historical Analysis: Women as ‘the Sex’ During the Victorian Era.” Victorian Women: The Gender of Oppression. Pace University, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
The roles played by men and women during the era are so clearly defined that an ideal quality of men seen on a woman can be considered a vice, and vice versa. For instance, a Victorian man is expected to play the role of the bed-winner in the household, and being taken care of and idolized by his wife after he returned home from work. If a man is meek, or innocent, or submissive, he is considered to have failed to be a respectable man of the time. Much like women whose degree of self-expression and individuality, so does me, for both of bodies have a fixated and absolute role to perform in the
Women were treated unfairly l Whether married or single all Victorian women were expected to be weak and helpless, a fragile delicate flower incapable of making decisions beyond selecting the menu and ensuring her many children were taught moral values. A gentlewoman ensured that the home was a place of comfort for her husband and family from the stresses of Industrial BritainA woman's prime use was to bear a large family and maintain a smooth family atmosphere where a man need not bother himself about domestic matters. He assumed his house would run smoothly so he could get on with making money. Even in high places Victorian men kept mistresses, but they still expected their wives or mistresses to be faithful whatever their own misdemeanours. If a women took a lover it was not made public. If it did become public knowledge she would be cut by society. But men could amble along to one of their gentleman's clubs and always find a warm
But in reality, a male narrator gives a certain sense of understanding to the male audience and society’s understand of the male and females roles and responsibilities in a marriage. Just as men were expected to cut the grass, take out the trash, pay the bills and maintain the household as a whole, women were expected to cook, clean, nurture the children, and be a loving and submissive wife to their husband. The only stipulation required for this exchange of power was to establish a mutual love. In the Victorian age love was all it took for a man to take or alter a woman’s livelihood and
In the Victorian era, in New York City, men and women roles within the society were as different as night and day. A man regardless of his extra curricular activities could still maintain a very prevalent place in society. A woman’s worth was not only based family name which distinguished her class and worth, but also her profession if that was applicable.
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
Women were expected to set the example for their children, satisfy the needs of their husbands, and it was unheard of for women to express their sexual desires. During this time women were placed into two categories, they were either virgins or married, any woman who did not fit into either of these categories was considered a whore and this meant she was essentially useless. “If a woman went into a hansom alone with a man who was neither her father, nor her husband […] her reputation was irretrievably lost” (Swisher, 181). This shows that even though people did not know the whole story, they judged others by the appearance of things. Most of the Victorian culture was centered on these things that women were expected to do or not to be seen doing. Scientists believed that men were the active ones who were supposed to use all of their energy, while women were sedentary and were supposed to conserve energy. “According to Wollsto...
In conclusion, the woman of the Victorian Era had her role in life planned out from before she was born. Although it was a dreadful role these women carried it out in a way that shows their purity of the heart and willingness to do so many of things for others and for little return. They were truly a remarkable testament to hard work and ingenuity of the time that even the men of the time could have learned from.
The National Archives. “Were men and women equal in Victorian Britain?.” Divided nation. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/victorianbritain/divided/default.htm (Accessed April 12, 2011).
The industrialization of the nineteenth century was a tremendous social change in which Britain initially took the lead on. This meant for the middle class a new opening for change which has been continuing on for generations. Sex and gender roles have become one of the main focuses for many people in this Victorian period. Sarah Stickney Ellis was a writer who argued that it was the religious duty of women to improve society. Ellis felt domestic duties were not the only duties women should be focusing on and thus wrote a book entitled “The Women of England.” The primary document of Sarah Stickney Ellis’s “The Women of England” examines how a change in attitude is greatly needed for the way women were perceived during the nineteenth century. Today women have the freedom to have an education, and make their own career choice. She discusses a range of topics to help her female readers to cultivate their “highest attributes” as pillars of family life#. While looking at Sarah Stickney Ellis as a writer and by also looking at women of the nineteenth century, we will be able to understand the duties of women throughout this century. Throughout this paper I will discuss the duties which Ellis refers to and why she wanted a great change.
Peterson, M. Jeanne. "The Victorian Governess: Status Incongruence in Family and Society." Suffer and Be Still: Women in the Victorian Age. Ed. Martha Vicinus. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1973.
"Nature intended women be our slaves. They are our property" - Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769 -1821 . Napoleon, Emperor of the French, lived to say this before the Victorian era had even begun, showing that sexism was already part of social life. In Victorian Britain, sexism had turned into culture; women would be expected to be mothers, work in the home and be quiet and "feminine" . This concept of an ideal women was strict, and women who didn't act "like a woman" would be punished and put in an asylum for the mad.
Women in the Victorian era played the role of providing their husband with a clean house, food on the table and raising their children. Women was known as weak, emotion, submission, dependence, and selflessness. Once married women became property to their husbands. Women did not vote, own property or sue. In the Nobility class enjoyed a life of luxuries and was highly educated.
Men were the ones in the family who worked and provided for his family's wellbeing. Because of the family's economic dependence on the husband, he had control over all of his family members. This showed the amount of progress needing to come in the future to allow women to start receiving some of the many rights they deserved which men had and so frequently took for granted.