The Role Of Social Class Etiquette In Victorian England

The social hierarchy of Victorian England was made up of four classes: upper class, middle class, working class, and underclass. There was little room for social mobility, and the class one was born in, was most likely where they would stay their whole life. While this appears undesirable to the modern American, it brought much needed stability and could be seen as comforting that a person knew where they belonged their whole life (Cody). The upper class was made up of the royal family and many high officials, this class “did not work, [and] income came from inherited land and investments” (“Victorian England: An Introduction”). Below the upper class was the middle class, which is considered one of the higher classes, though it is not the best.

Etiquette was a major part of life in Victorian England, and was oftentimes seen as more important than education, especially for women (Malheiro). The higher social class a woman was in, the more proper she would have been expected to be, but going down the social ladder, people became less concerned with manners. While the middle class was moderate in its etiquette, “[in] the working classes, social mores were less rigid, in large part due to the extreme penury and terrible conditions in which many found themselves living” (“Victorian Age”). Women had to work along so the men and any education that was in place did not bother with teaching a women the proper way to things, as she would not use it. The wealthiest families were the most serious about etiquette and manners. For the upper classes “etiquette and manners became one of the pre-occupation of females” (“Victorian Etiquette”). Just a few of the things women were taught to be were humble, quiet, loving, caring, faithful, modest, gentle, and kind. They were also told to put others before themselves and not attract attention (Malheiro). All of this was done in order to find a suitable husband and care for him properly. If a woman could not marry, she would be a shame and a burden to the family (“Victorian Etiquette”). The large gap between working class and upper class in etiquette can be seen in the statistics of premarital sex in Victorian England. About one-third of women in the working class were pregnant on their wedding day, while a “nice woman” of the upper class would not go past a kiss on the hand or cheek until married (“Victorian England: An Introduction”). Most etiquette rules were directed at women, but men were also expected to become gentlemen as they grew and they had rules too. These rules usually were about assisting women or for a lady’s benefit. For example, men had to help a lady down from her carriage, carry things for