Situation of women in 19th Century

In the first half of the century, women’s work, for the most part, was inside the home; but
around the 1850s she began working outside the home, and the number thus finding
gainful employment increased as the century advanced. Women worked as
laundresses, they were bath-house operators, mid-wives, nurses, governesses. They
worked in domestic service in the homes of others, and in personal service in beauty
parlors. They were seamstresses, stenographers in offices, hotel proprietresses, and
restaurant operators. They were teachers, merchants, musicians, artists, authors, and
journalists. In addition to these workers, not a few women were active in forming
organizations and clubs for religious, charitable and other purposes.

Women during the 19th century had many limitations. When they married, they were considered
under coverture, in which man and wife became one person, legally. Thus, all women's rights were
essentially swallowed by their husbands. They could not own property, they could not vote, they had
no legal rights to their children, they were discouraged from working outside the home and when
they did, their wages were a fraction of what men working in a similar position would earn. They
were required to be obedient to their husbands, and thus, almost completely dependent on men. It
was, for this reason, that many women got behind the temperance movement, or the movement to
abolish the consumption of alcohol, in the early 19th century. Women disliked the poor effects that
alcohol had on men's health and family lives. They claimed alcohol led to poverty and domestic
violence. This concern was especially relevant at a time when women had no legal rights to divorce
their husbands, even if domestic violence occurred. By supporting the temperance movement,
women gained a fraction of control over their own lives. Additionally, 19th-century women considered
themselves the guardians of morality and took the opportunity to preach the evils of alcohol. Largely
due to the organizations women formed within the church, "where they learned to organize, raise
money, and speak effectively in public," were women able to organize toward the fight for equality.

19th Century Feminism

In 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott spearheaded women's suffrage with the Seneca
Falls Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. This gathering of suffragettes from across the nation
paved the way for 19th-century feminism. Fortunately for Elizabeth Cady Stanton, her father, a
lawyer, paid for her schooling, which led her to study law at his firm. While there, she learned of the
harsh laws women were subjected to, which inspired her to mobilize against inequality. Likewise,
Lucretia Mott became familiar with democratic principles, after her father encouraged her to gain an
education. She then realized the unequal treatment she received as a female teacher compared to
her male counterparts in the same school; she earned only half the wages male teachers earned.

Major themes in 19th century female novelists

Charlotte Bronte ( Jane Eyre )

"Mr Rochester, I no more assign this fate to you than I grasp at it for myself.
We were born to strive and endure - you as well as I: do so. You will forget
me before I forget you."

In the novel by Charlotte Bronte, "Jane Eyre", there is a constant battle of

love versus autonomy in Jane, the main character. At points Jane feels as if
she would give anything to be loved. Yet over the course of the book Jane
needs to learn how to gain affection of others without sacrificing something
in return.

( theme of love versus autonomy )

George Eliot ( Middlemarch)

Both money and the lack of it cause many problems for the characters
in Middlemarch. Some characters are obsessed with money, whereas
others spurn it. The novel strongly indicates that it is better not to
obsess over money and to focus on other forms of fulfilment
"A man likes his wife to be pretty, but if he can buy pretty for a few pounds, he'll
have the pounds."

( Money and Greed )

Jane Austen ( Pride and Prejudice )

In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, society is portrayed through characters such

as Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy and the treatment given to women. Pride and
Prejudice also shows family relationships and their power over an
individual’s decision through the Bennet family and Mr. Bingley’s sister.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife."

( theme of family )

Mary Shelley ( The last man )

The Last Man explores the commonalities and vulnerabilities of the
human race, suggesting that all people are equal to one another.
While politics, personal ambitions, and xenophobic beliefs sometimes
divide the human societies in the novel, the narrative suggests that
such divisions are futile and self-defeating, only serving to weaken
humanity further.
"I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all
mankind?

( theme of equality )