Women in Victorian Society- Workforce

There was no workers' compensation until late in the Victorian era. Some women were employed in the caol and steel industry. Women and children worked underground as "hurriers" until the Mines and Collieries Act passed in 1842. The law did not have much of an impact on the employment of women in mining. Women were also big in agriculture in the all countries of England. Agriculture did not pay well, that caused the shift to the industrial industry. Industry laundry services employed many women. Women were also commonly employed in textile mills. Some women took a different approach as business women with animal breeding.

Women did not expect to be paid the same wage as their male co-workers. The men were being paid almost double what the women were being given. Pregnant women worked up until the day they went into labor. Straying away from the normal woman employment was rare and looked down upon. It was very difficult to get into a good paying, male dominated field. This makes Elizabeth Garrett Anderson's journey so remarkable. She never gave up and did not take no for an answer. She made her own path and created her own destiny.

Women in Victorian Society- Education

Women were not freely offered the opportunity to study extended subjects. This made it very difficult for a woman to break away from the traditional Victorian woman lifestyle. Education was specialized by gender. Woman were offered the opportunity to study refined subjects such as history, geography, and general literature.  It allowed them to hold a normal conversation with society provided with the background knowledge.  Some women did excel in "male" subjects such as law, physics, and science. Although women were rarely given the opportunity to attend university. 

In the Uk, it was even said that if a women studied against their nature it could make them ill. The Victorian period revolved around the teachings of the church and the definition of masculinity and femininity. Hence furthering the education of women was seen as the key to opening up additional freedoms to them including training for employment, a way of eliminating the boredom of every day household duties. Well after the successful openings of schools and women's colleges, the arguments still persisted; that it would impact severely the concept of Victorian family life and cause friction between the male and female students and within the female group itself as to exactly what should women be taught and to what degree.

Women in Victorian Society- Domestic Issues

Domestic chores for women without servants meant a lot of washing and cleaning. Coal-dust was a major cleaning duty for a woman of this time. The coal dust from the stove would coat everything and linens had to be washed regularly. Scrubbing the front wooden doorstep of the home every morning was also a respectful thing to do. Women were often raising six- twelve children on average. The age of the children were normally close together. The women were often expected to look good for their husband as well. The duties were hard for any women head of household, but the deserved respect was often searched for.

 If a women felt she was not given enough respect, it was almost too little too late once a marriage is in place. Divorce was not very common back in this time. If there was a problem in the household, it was to be fixed or ignored. The first animal-cruelty legislation was passed in Great Britain in 1824, however, legal protection from domestic violence was not granted to women until 1853. The Act for the Better Prevention and Punishment of Aggravated Assaults upon Women and Children did not ban violence, but instead it limited to amount of force permitted.

Women in Victorian Society- Household

 Women had unwritten rules, when it came to how to properly act in the household. A woman's duty was to obey, honor, and love the husband and cherish the support he brings the family. Keep the house clean and in tact while raising many children was a common responsibility for a woman in the Victorian era. It was a very crucial duty in British culture to be able to run a respectable household and secure the happiness in the home. Women that did not support this duty to their best ability were frowned upon and often given harsh criticism by others. Why this roles of a British woman in the Victorian era was a common theme played around the world at the time,  the British had a way of doing things with proper class.
A famous poem written in the Victorian Era showcases the role of woman in the household. 
"Angel in the House", written by Coventry Patmore, published in  1854:


Man must be pleased; but him to please

Is woman's pleasure; down the gulf
Of his condoled necessities
She casts her best, she flings her breast [...]

She loves with love that cannot tire;
And when, ah woe, she loves alone,
Through passionate duty love springs higher,

As grass grows taller round a stone.


The poem shows the gratitude the author showed for the woman of the household. The nickname, "Household General" was often used for a housewife. The term was coined by Isabella Beeton, as she describes on her best selling Victorian manual: Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, The role of a woman is compared to the commander of an army or the leader of an enterprise.