Women's Rights In The Victorian Era

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

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