How would you describe the status of women in Victorian society?
What sorts of conventions around gender existed in Victorian times?
How were gender roles affected by class or socio-economic status?
In the Victorian Era, women were considered to be pure and clean. The role of women was to have children, and tend the house. In this society, young ladies were only worth as much as her chastity and appearance of complete innocence. (www.victorianweb.com/gender/sextheory.html, Elizabeth Lee, Victorian Theories of Sex and Sexuality)
There were many gender conventions that existed in Victorian Society. Female intelligence was worth much less than male intelligence, and females were seen to have less independence and courage than men. The strengths of females in the society was affection, sympathetic imagination, patience, open-mindedness, and appreciation of details. (http://www.wikipedia.org/ - Women in the Victorian Era)
Women of the upper and middle class were mainly educated in what was considered to be 'fashionable' subjects, like French, drawing, painting, singing, dancing, and playing the piano. On the other hand, working class women often worked in factories specifically in the garment industry, and laundries.(http://www.wikipedia.org/ - Women in the Victorian Era)
