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Women's Rights In The Victorian Era

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Women in the Victorian Era were believed to be the “ideal of character”, and they were considered to be “sweet, innocent, fragile, and docile,” ; the complete opposite of a man. Marriage was one of the most significant points of a women’s life. However, the rights of a married woman was similar to the rights of a child; they could not own property, vote, or sue. Women lost the rights to own property they brought into the marriage, even following divorce. The husband had complete legal control over any income earned by his wife, meaning women were not allowed to open banking accounts, and a married woman was not able to arrange a contract without her husband's legal approval. Because of these strict restrictions, marriage was not considered an …show more content…

A divorced woman could not be accepted in society ever again, and relationships were considered “artificial” at the time. At the beginning of the Victorian era, in the event of a divorce, the husband will get custody of the children. There were many important laws which advanced women rights and marriage. In 1839, Custody of Infants Act law was passed which stated that if a divorce occurred and the parents separated children less than 7 years of age should stay with their mother. the Act for the Better Prevention and Punishment of Aggravated Assaults upon Women and Children was passed in 1853, where women and children were granted legal protection from domestic violence. In 1857, the Matrimonial Causes Act women could divorce husbands who committed signs of adultery, incest, cruelty and desertion. In 1870, women were allowed to keep money they earned. In 1887, the Married Women’s Property Act came into play. It allowed a married woman to own their own property. In 1889, the Guardianship of Infants Act allowed women to take ownership of her children if the husband passed away. Finally in 1891, women could not be forced to live with their husband unless they wished to

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These rights consisted of possessing property, keeping their earnings, managing businesses, and be guardians of their kids. (“Susan B. Anthony”). During the Civil War in 1862, the New York State Legislature repealed most of Women’s Property Acts, due to rivalry with Negros saying “it was their time” (“Susan B. Anthony”). Anthony’s participation in the Women’s Property Rights movements put her in danger of threats and being labeled in negative images. Not only did Susan favor women’s property rights but her main interest was women’s suffrage.

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In the year of 1873, Susan B. Anthony had been arrested for casting an illegal vote at the last presidential election. This time period was known as the Women’s Rights Movement. Many women had began to acknowledge that they were treated unfair by society’s standards against them, and had began to stand up for themselves and their fellow women. At this time, women were not allowed to vote. Most were stay-at-home mothers because men did not find them suitable for most jobs the men accommodated, and society discouraged them from even getting a real education.

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The women’s rights movement finally began around the mid 1800s. This was also around the time black people were slaves. Eventually, after the civil war was over and slavery was made illegal, the Fourteenth Amendment was passed, which gave all men the right to vote. Many women were angered by this. Shortly after

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Moreover, women could also only initiate a divorce on the grounds of desertion, which men were not allowed to do. This discrepancy in the grounds for divorce clearly favored men and limited the options available to women. Another area where the Code favored men was in custody of children. The Code typically granted custody of the children to the father after a divorce, unless there was a compelling reason to the contrary.

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If they did, as soon as they were married, they were expected to stay home to take care of their husband and children. In the mid 1800's people started to speak up. The realization that the way women were treated was wrong was overcoming many people. The first women's rights convention was held in New York on July 19th 1848, to which over 300 men and women attended. From there on, more and more people spoke up.

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The women created the American Equal Rights Association in 1866 and also published The Revolution in Rochester, which was a newspaper. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was tied down by taking care of her seven children so Susan B. Anthony would travel and speak the speeches. Anthony helped Stanton also pass the Women’s Property Law of 1860. This law gave married women the rights to, “own property, engage in business, manage their wages and other income, sue and be sued, and be joint guardian of their children.” After being disappointed from not winning the vote from the 13th Amendment, they formed the National Women’s Suffrage Association. Later in the 1870s Susan B. Anthony was arrested because she voted in the 1872 election.

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Some states, like Utah, were granted the right, then it was taken away before being granted again. There was also many protests over the years, one in 1911 that including 3,000 women in New York. The Senate tried to pass a nationwide

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In the mid 1800s, women were granted little to no rights; they were considered 2nd class citizens and expected to conform to what men believed was right. Socially, they were told to stay focused on family and household business. This included watching the children, cooking, cleaning, ect. Women were not encouraged to take a path that required education or would lead to a professional career. According to the National Women 's History Museum, "After marriage, women did not have the right to own their own property, keep their own wages, or sign a contract"(1).

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In the early version of the acts it enabled women to inherit their own property without their husbands’ debts, while also allowing them to have control over their own estates. However, most of the States were slow to protect married women’s rights to have individual control over their wages that they earned in the labor market. Although, by the early twentieth century, almost all states allowed a married woman to have their own property, to sue, be sued, to possibly contribute to contracts, and to control her property considering her

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The role of women during the Victorian era was to raise the children and to keep her husband happy. Many Victorian women had to marry, and it was not an option not to be, because it was necessary for survival. Women during this era had to remain innocent and were expected to remain as such until proposal. Sexual activity was acceptable, as long as the couple intended to marry. Once the Victorian woman has married, everything she owned now belongs to her husband by law.

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To sum up, Jane’s courage and tenacity were considered such a great inspiration for many Victorian women; people, in this case women, are born free to live their lives in the best way possible. No one has the right to decide how they have to dress, what they have to do in their lives, or if they can study or not. Nowadays, times have changed and there is another view of women, especially in the most developed countries. For instance, related to the Victorian age, it is clear that the most powerful and influential woman of that time was Queen Victoria.

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