A Separation of Spheres in the Later Half of the 19th Century

A Separation of Spheres in the Later Half of the 19th Century

In the later half of the 19th century men and women were seen to live

in ‘separate spheres.’ Public activity for men and domestic/private

for women. However some upper class women did have the chance to do

voluntary work such as charity work. Upper class women at this time

where seen to obey their husbands, they had a role, they were ladies

so they had to act like ladies. Women were excluded from the public

sphere men where seen as top of society and women shouldn’t get

involved with politics as they wouldn’t understand. Men were seen as

more intelligent and had reason thought they had control over their

wives, before 1850 the common law was that married women had no

identity apart from that of her husband, husbands had the right to

decide where to live and how to live. At this point in time it was

also legal to beat up their wives and lock them up if they disobeyed

their husband. Women also couldn’t divorce their husbands and if they

did separate the husband gets custody of the children.

By 1850 many women had accepted the fact they were different and not

equal to their husbands, especially upper and middle class women, but

things changed and beliefs changed when the idea of a ‘new woman’ was

introduced. By 1850 there was a rapid growth of the number of single

women between the age of 15 and 45 rose by 72% this was between 1851

and 1871. There were three main reasons for this;

· There were more male babies dieing at birth or in their childhood

· More men went to different countries, many emigrated for better

opportunities for themselves

· Many men wher...

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...h they were women’s groups.

The Prim Rose led would not be suffrages, the womanly idea of being a

lady effective and practical organisation. The labour party were more

assertive and determined then the prim rose, they said that women

should shape and remind the role of women, both groups however didn’t

agree with women suffrage.

Women were not excluded from everything by now, they did have a role

in politics on a local level from 1869 onwards. This shows how my the

end of the 19th century the ‘separate spheres’ were changing, women

were becoming more involved with public life and where allowing things

to be changed. By late 1890’s women were entering local government,

serving schools, they had together passed new laws, which changed the

higher status of the male, slowly gaining equal opportunities for

women.