How Gender Roles Codified During The Victorian England Of The 19th Century?

Hard Times helps in illustrating the progress as well as the depression experienced by both men and women in the society. The role of the women in the Victorian society can be categorized in social and economic roles as shown from the various duties played by the women in the story. Most of the women in the Victorian society are associated with some stereotypical traits such as being transparent and being sensitive and that develops further to create a story which highlights the various importance of women in the society. Dickens views on femininity are shown from hard times and that helps in showing the various economic roles and the social roles played by the women in the buildup of the story. The study is aimed towards the elaboration of the roles of women economically and socially in relation to the plot and characterization shown in the story.

In John Osborne 's 1956 piece, Look Back in Anger, housewife Alison Porter is faced with the difficult decision of remaining in a toxic marriage or returning to live with her parents. Indeed, Alison is the archetype of the 1950s British woman, as depicted in both academic and popular discourse—meek, miserable and resigned to her fate as mother and housewife. While such a paradigm of the 1950s woman has long remained unchallenged, historians have begun to suggest that this stereotype is inaccurate and misleading, and overlooks the complexity of female gender roles during Britain of this era. When reviewing the literature on this topic, what emerges as a clear point of tension between academics is whether the 1950s was a static or a dynamic

The Victorian Era in England followed a book of moral codes for different topics, subjects, subtopics, etc. The Victorian era was a religious era that strictly followed gender roles and sexuality. Gender roles included men superiority, female purity, and proper behavior. Sexuality was treated as heresy, with public display of affection frowned upon. Everything must follow the code of morals; these rules were supported by the Church.

I have to let the readers know how I stumbled upon this topic to introduce where I get my ideas from. It all started in the archive located on the second floor of the library in a dark corner behind a clear glass doors at the Hunter College. I have been attending Hunter College for four years and never have I stumbled on such an amazing place full of live history. I say live history because all the documents and books that are held in the archive are all preserved originals, which fascinated me. Thinking how people who lived more than century ago wrote and read the same things I’m writing and reading about excited me to my very soul. Archive research though fascinating is not an easy task that can be done in within fifteen minutes like how researches are done these days using convenient technologies at hand.

The world of education, economics and everyday life is constantly changing with needs and demands changing in every part of the world. The reliance on humans is also decreasing with modernization of factories and buildings, but the greater change is the roles of women in society and everyday life. Through the text, essay and speech, it is revealed that gender roles have changed since 1881 in the areas of employment and marriage; thus, the sources demonstrate that gender roles have changed because the needs and outlooks on women have changed over time.

Male and female roles have been changing as time goes on over the years. Women have fought to have the same rights as men do. Men have always been dominant over women, for instance women have fought for rights such as voting and being able to work in the same workforce as men do. Men used to believe women should stay at home and not go to work, but instead they should do household chores such as cleaning, cooking, and tending to the children. Male and female roles have changed dramatically over time.

Today citizens of the United States all have the essential rights to vote in a democracy, regardless of their skin color or gender. This, however, was not the case many years ago prior to 1920. In fact, women or people of color were not allowed the right to vote. Nevertheless, over time the roles of women began to change and with changing roles, women began to be more aware of their rights, thus began to fight for equality. Without the beginning of woman’s suffrage and early women reforms done in the early 19th century, the right of women to vote could have never been successful; changing roles of women from the beginning of the colonization age lead up to the idea of woman’s suffrage.

Why were women considered weak and dependent? Gender roles in the nineteenth century were very different than they are now; women were very sheltered and restricted, while men did all the outside work and roamed free. This theory was conveyed in many articles, stories, and documentaries found previously. As a nineteenth century wife, a list of particular characteristics and ideas were formed in order to consider one as a quality wife. In the short story, “The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Georgiana succeeded as a wife during the nineteenth century according to these unfair gender roles.

Women are becoming the “man of the house”. One may say this is due to technical advances that have allowed women to escape domestic chores and step into the male domain. However, this is a product of the movement beyond one’s egocentricity, leading selfless movements such as anti-slavery. Feminists fought for women’s rights during the end of the 19th century: gaining the rights to possess their own property independently of their husbands, to receive their own salaries, to act as adjudicators, to go into professions like law and medicine and to go into higher education. In 2014, 7.1% of men dropout of schooling as compared to 5.9% of females (NCES). Gender roles are becoming fluid as the “new man”, a man of the house who enacts in domestic

Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll House" and Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" have interesting parallels depicted through their oppressive marriages. In 19th century gender roles society deems men to be superior although, Ibsen breaks this stereotype having Nora Helmer leave her husband, when she realizes, she deserves just treatment and freedom "doesn't it occur to you this is the first time we two, you and I, man and wife have ever talked seriously together? (Ibsen 104) Nora speaks against Torvald to be taken seriously and to be her own person, not someone Torvald wants her to be. Nora Helmer tastes freedom and loves it when she realizes she is a person and deserves to have autonomy she states, "I have another duty,

Failure to abide by gender roles in Victorian England could have a variety of consequences from the minor to the extreme. Blanche Ingram is a good example of this. Blanche is the rude materialistic daughter of one of Mr. Rochester’s neighbors. At one point she says, in front of Jane , “we all know them: danger of bad example to innocence of childhood; distractions and consequent neglect of duty on the part of the attached” (Brontë 337). In this scene, Blanche and some of Rochester’s other guests are discussing the various downsides of having a governess while Jane is present.

For centuries the patriarchy was perpetuated by uneducated middleclass men, upper crust scholars and dutiful women. The emergence of liberalism in the 19th century resulted in the dismantlement of the patriarchy resulting in violence against women as a response. 19th Century liberalism acted as a catalyst for Patriarchal dismantlement and its resulting gender based violence, as it harnessed education as a means for empowerment and freedom. By raising social awareness and mobilizing free thought, the liberal movement disassembled the misogynistic train of thought. Liberalism introduced contemporary thought at the price of acrimony of men.

Gender roles were sharply defined in the 19th century. Women were expected to stay at home and carry out the domestic duties as well as taking care of the children and educate them and provide a peaceful home for their husband. Women were seen as loving and caring. On the other hand, men were expected to work and earn money for the family. They would fight wars and were seen as strong and powerful. Men had more freedom and rights, such as the right to vote, than women in the 19th century. Society had created two completely separate spheres. In the medical field, men were doctors. There were laws in many states, such as, that prohibited women from becoming doctors. Women, who decided to practice medicine in the 19th century had to struggle with much opposition because it went against prevailing ideas about women’s role in society. Women belonged in the private and domestic sphere. Men belonged to competitive and immoral public sphere of industry and commerce. The women in medicine would face accusations that they were abandoning their sphere and threatening society. Due to these arguments and the fear of economic competition from female practitioner, male medical schools and hospitals denied women access to institutions. However, Elizabeth Blackwell, changed this idea of separate spheres when she decided to take on the medical field and become a doctor. Although Elizabeth Black had a natural aversion to the medical field, her

The upper or ruling class of Victorian era consists of aristocrats and leading business and political families. The change of social structure in 19th century social and ethical changes, the high society life of recreation lost favour. In case of aristocrats, when the title and property went to elder son, he was required to accomplish many task rather than reflecting his family name or property. He was required to sit in Parliament, have a hand in nearby illicit relationships, and utilise his impact in a beneficent cause, despite the fact that he did not do any paid work. Although, apart from the elder child, the other younger children were also part of the property share, however, they were supposed to select their career such as military officer, or colonial administration.in other words, the children and the children of children were supposed to be aristocrat with special rights to practice and enjoy (Clark, 2013).

When it comes to the topic of women during the Victorian Era most of us will readily agree that they were mostly concerned with elegance, and their etiquette. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether women knew what was considered high fashion or if they ever cared for elegance to begin with. While some are convinced that the roles of the women were never important to begin with, others believe that the roles of women were in fact a major part in history.