Oppression of Women in Victorian Society Essay - 2174 Words

How would you like it ladies if you were told that your only place in this world was in the home, or that as you were born a woman you were already given the career of marriage? There would be no way out of it, no hope of changing and becoming something new and exciting, you were stuck in this position and either you made the best of it or died trying to revolt. Women held no rights. They were forced to be robots, performing only for the men they had to seek marriage to. The only jobs that women were allowed to hold was that of motherhood, they were not allowed to speak unless spoken to and certainly were not expected to have personal opinion. It was not until the start of the Womens Liberation Movement in the late 1960s and early†¦show more content†¦Women were only there for men, and the most important aspect of that was marriage. From the time they were young they were set to be beautiful, because only the pretty girls got the richest man. The girls were groomed and basic ally put on show like a common day racehorse. In addition to being good-looking, a young girl was expected to be able to sing, play an instrument and speak French and Italian. They needed to be gentle, innocent and ignorant of their intellectual opinions. Women in the Victorian society were meant to be weak, helpless, fragile and unable to think for themselves. There only job was to make sure the home was comfortable for the children and the man of the house. Her one use to the world was to produce a large family and a neutral and calm family atmosphere. In those times the man was the moneymaker and the woman was there to keep the house clean and tranquil. Men also held no respect for their wives with the evidence being mistresses. Many men kept mistresses and in the end still expected their wives to be faithful even though they were cheating on them the whole time. It was a hypocritical aspect of the Victorian ages, men were allowed and even praised for being unfaithful while women were ostracized for it. A woman could not hold property in her name, even if she inherited that property from her family it was still in sole possession of her husband.Show MoreRelatedJane Eyre Character Analysis1402 Words   |  6 Pagesperceived by society, as they are both treated unfairly and are seemingly undesirable and disregarded. Looked down upon by society, they are made to feel suppressed and as if their thoughts do not matter. Such feelings of oppression seem to drive both Jane and Bertha to madness; Bertha seems to embody the inner rage that Jane tries to control within herself throughout the novel. 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