THE VICTORIAN ERA - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION The Victorian era may seem like a different world from the one we live in today. The era also has several features that are familiar with those of the modern day. One main difference between these two periods is the role and perception of children and women in the society. The place of women during the Victorian era has been clearly highlighted by Tennyson describing men as wielding swords while women stayed by the hearth holding needles. THE VICTORIAN ERA Queen Victoria became a model of domestic virtue and marital stability during her time. Her marriage represented what marital harmony meant and was often referred to as the nation's mother. She also was an icon of domesticity and middle-class femininity. The period between 1837 and 1901 is specially known as the Victorian Era as it coincides with the reign of the great Queen Victoria of England (Harrison & Ford, 1983). The Victorian era was one that was filled with prosperity in Britain as the country made profits from its empires overseas and realised industrial improvements within England. This era saw the development of a large middle class that was adequately educated. The period is sometimes extended to include 1830 as a result of different sensibilities and political concerns associated with the people of this era. The Victorian era was succeeded by the Edwardian period but proceeded by the Georgian era. It was a period when social class determined popular forms of entertainment some of which included drama, music, opera, arts, gambling and drinking. On top of these forms of entertainment, there was widespread prostitution, spectacles and other paranormal events. The era is also notoriously remembered for child labour which involved making children work in mines and factories as chimney sweeps (Harrison & Ford, 1983). This was done as a result of difficult economic situations faced by many families necessitating children's working to supplement family budgets. Working hours at this time were long and the jobs both dangerous and poorly paying. CHILDHOOD PERCEPTIONS DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA The Victorian climate was highly religious; it was almost impossible to separate oneself from the concept of original sin. This was the belief that man is conceived and born in sin and guilt. Childhood during the Victorian era was initially not associated with innocence and primitivism but as having inbred sin. The child was hence encouraged at all time to endeavour to overcome sinful Adam and warned against living in his ways (Mitchell, 1996). Children were also expected to help others with an aim of improving themselves and philanthropy was encouraged. As a result of the industrial revolution, women had the opportunity to tenderly care for their children as their husbands went about making money. The mother's religious role at this time was to teach the child his/her patriotic duty of nation building. The woman had the duty of binding together her family with love under the guidance of the written word. A good number of treatises specifically and practically guided the woman on all aspects of nursery life; child education, dressing and healthcare (Mitchell, 1996). Miniature quilts were made for children that were much similar to those of adults. The child was taught about morality with the bible acting as guide together with books such as the pilgrim's progress. In the 20th century the society became more children centred. Juvenile themes were used on quilts which included embroidery or appliqu. CURRENT PERCEPTION OF CHILDREN The modern world recognizes the child as a very important member of society and asserts their rights to be free from any kind of discrimination irrespective of its own or its parents' colour, race, sex, political opinion, religion, ethnic, national or social origin, birth status, origin, disability or property. The girl child being a common target is given even greater attention to avoid practices like female genital mutilation, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, son preference, parental sex selection, violence against women, early marriage, discrimination in allocation of food as well as other practices related to well-being and health. The society has further recognised the effect of treating the girl child as an inferior human being. This has helped in increasing their self-esteem. Both sexes are accepted to be equal at all levels; economic, social, cultural and political. Gender-biased educational processes that reinforce inequalities have continuously been eliminated from standard practice. The role of adolescents and girls have continuously been emphasised by parents, media, teachers and peers. The society currently has encouraged youths, children, women and men to work together in eliminating gender stereotypes. QUALITIES OF THE TYPICAL WOMAN IN THE VICTORIAN ERA In the Victorian era women were considered clean and pure beings. This led to women's bodies being viewed as temples. In view of this, women were not meant to adorn themselves with jewellery or engage in pleasurable sex or physical exertion (Harrison & Ford, 1983). The woman's role was to tend the house and to have children. In 1876, Isabella Beeton first described the concept of mistress of the house in her manual of household management. According to her, the household mistress is likened to the army commander or enterprise leaders. The woman's role according to her was to secure the comfort, well-being and happiness of her family. This could only be done, in Beeton's view, through thorough and intelligent performance of the woman's duties. Since many servants were not reliable, the woman was expected to instruct, delegate duties and organize them. The woman also had the duty of caring for sick members of her family which requires compassion, good temper, sympathy, cleanliness, neat-handedness, quiet manners and love of order - attributes that the 19th century woman was expected to posses (Marjorie, 1991). The relationship between sisters and brothers was very important during the Victorian era. Sisters were supposed to treat their brothers much like they would do to their future husbands. The brother's affection had to be respected as he provided security in case his sister's marriage relationship got sour or the sister remained single all her life. ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE VICTORIAN ERA It was accepted widely in the Victorian era that marriage was the career for women. Before courtship or marriage the woman was like a racehorse groomed. The girl was supposed to be learning how to play an instrument, sing, speak some Italian or French. The gentlewoman was also expected to be virtuous, dutiful, biddable, innocent and ignorant of intellectual opinion (Mitchell, 1996). Single or married, they were expected to be helpless and weak - a delicate flower, fragile and incapable of decision making. She could only go as far as selecting the menu and making sure that her numerous children acquired moral behaviour. The gentle woman was also expected to ensure that the home was comfortable for the family and husband, free from stresses. The woman had the duty of bearing and maintaining a large family while the man went about making money. Women wore different dresses for different occasions; mourning, morning, town, walking, travelling, visiting, shooting, racing, opera, seaside dinner, balling and for numerous other occasions (Mitchell, 1996). Victorian men, even in high places maintained mistresses who were expected to be faithful. A known to have taken a lover was supposed to be cut into pieces by the society. A woman of wealth would typically spend her time receiving guests, sewing, letter writing, reading, going visiting and instructing servants. The wife also dressed up and took her role as the husband's social representative. The rich woman's day was strictly governed with rules of etiquette, sometimes having to change clothes up to six times in a day depending on the season. This was however not the case for poor women in Britain. They wore fifth hand clothes and as servants ate leftovers from the rich household. Later on in the 1980s, women began to adapt new roles and dressing. Their dressings consisted of tailor made garments that more seriously led to their recognition as thinking personalities as opposed to mere social assets. In the early 1900s, sewing, machines, typewriters, telephones, cameras, bicycles and artificial rayon fibres were being used by both men and women. THE VICTORIAN CLASS SYSTEM The Victorian class system had rigid barriers that clearly stipulated the woman's role in the society. There were four distinct classes which included the lower working class, upper working class, middle class and nobility and gentry class with each class having specific roles and standards. It was generally considered a big offence to deviate from the standards of the class in which the woman was (Marjorie, 1991). The nobility and gentry class was the highest with women in this class having rights to inherit titles, land and wealth. Their work was sometimes very hard and very important - managing the household and the home. They basically instructed others on what to do and did not themselves participate in the doing. Their lifestyle however gave them enough time for relaxation and leisure. A favourite pastime for this class of women was dancing. The life of the upper class women was not as easy as it seemed compared to those of lower class women although at least it was more secure. Money, titles and land belonging to upper class women were usually inherited by male relatives (Mitchell, 1996). Only a small proportion of wealth was left to an unmarried woman after her father's death. This resulted in many daughters and mothers becoming extremely poor when their fathers or husbands died. The next rank (middle class) was much similar to upper class women but did not have extensive lands and their lifestyles were not as grand as those of the other two class ranks. Middle class women gained social status in most occasions through marrying up. The class included everyone that fell between the lower gentry and the working classes. The role of the middle class woman varied widely depending on family background. The upper working class included those employed in jobs that required thought or skill as opposed to physical labour. Upper class women would work typically in bookshops, shops and as school teachers. Women formerly in the upper class but fell through some tragedy into poverty formed a unique group in this class. These women worked as governesses teaching upper class children on how to maintain their status as high class children. Such a woman was often a worthy scapegoat in everyone's eyes from the house-maid to the master and mistress. The least rank, the lower working class, included desperately poor women. They were typically single, able bodied and worked alongside men in the same class in factories or where taxing physical labour was required (Marjorie, 1991). Like poor men, these women were expected to support themselves through hard work. Lower working class women also worked as domestic servants. Although not as demoralizing and physically straining as factory work, domestic service had its own hardships (Marjorie, 1991). It was very lonely working as a domestic servant as compared to factory workers who had time to socialise as they worked. Factory workers worked for about 60 hours per week as compared to domestic servants who worked for 84 hours. CONCLUSION The status and role of women and the girl child has been a subject of great interest to the world. Today, women may not truly be aware of the benefits of living in a society that does not have a rigid class system. In the Victorian era, the woman's role was rigidly defined offering very little (if any) alternatives for change. The modern woman of today is free and may choose an occupation of their choice without much restraint. REFERENCES Harrison B & Ford C 1983 Britain in the 1880s in Words and Photographs Cambridge Harvard University Marjorie L 1991 Women Able-bodiness and the New Poor Law in Victorian England Journal of Womens History v11i- 4 Mitchell S 1996 Daily Life in Victorian England Westport Greenwood Thomas P 2009 A woman's place in the 19th Century Victorian History http://www.fashion-era.com/a_womans_place.htm retrieved on 9th April, 2009 Lynn Abrams 2009 Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_01.shtml retrieved on 9th April, 2009 APPENDIX Victorian women comparing ball programmes, 1882retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_01.shtml Taking tea wearing lavish Victorian gowns in 1854 http://www.fashion-era.com/images/Victorians/teamarb300x20.jpg Woman using a sewing machine retrieved from http://www.fashion-era.com/a_womans_place.htm Read More