Gender Roles In The 19th Century
There is an issue which has been the point of discussion and debate for ages. It has ebbed and flowed, and goes through bouts of excitement, and then recedes. It was heavily prominent in ages past, and starting in the 1900’s, issues started getting addressed. Even today, there are issues which appear to still affect roles and views of people. A difference between today’s issues and the ones from the 19th century is that at least today women have rights as citizens. 19th century England enforced debilitating gender roles on women which prevented them from being considered “real” citizens in society. There have been several issues and topics in conversation which depict how the gender roles society enforced hindered women. It was common for a series of questions to be asked reflecting the issues being faced. How should women be educated? What was their proper place in society? Should they be allowed to work
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outside of the home? Should they be able to vote and have a political voice? Can they own their own land? These questions were known as “The Women Question” (Avery). It was during the course of the 19th century when women’s rights were highly discussed and debated, especially over roles and rights. Many voices, particularly women’s, spoke up against the inequalities and made their points known. Some of the more prominent voices belonged to Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jane Austen. These three women used their writing platforms to speak out against what society was demanding upon them, and even today, are still noted as leading voices against the roles and expectations of gender. Mary Wollstonecraft is most commonly known for her written work of “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. In this work, she discussed how women were hindered in the areas of legal, economic, and educational matters. She argued that women should receive the same, equal rights as men, and by restricting half of society, they hinder half of its progress (Cucinello). Not only did Wollstonecraft speak against the hindrance, but she also encouraged and tried to empower women themselves, urging them to see education as a necessity and to have their own independence. Her view of independence perceived true freedom as only being available by remaining unmarried, and her story Maria told a tale of a women who was destroyed by her husband and gave illustration to Wollstonecraft’s interpretation of disabilities upon women. Writing was but one aspect of Wollstonecraft’s attempt to change society’s viewpoint. She also endeavored to open a school for girls; however, due to varying factors, the school failed (Block). Part of her issue was due to financial trouble, partly because of a close friend’s death, but a large part of it was that the girls she tried to teach had already been conditioned to society’s view of education for women. Not everyone, however, agreed with society. There were other women who spoke out against the society’s view of gender “equality”.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a poet who made her voice heard. Browning looked up to Wollstonecraft and admired her work and how her book “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” explicitly stated how women were denied anything meaningful in society due to their lack of real education. As a woman poet, Browning was expected to write about love, emotions, pious religion, or nature. Instead, she wrote about political and social issues: war, slavery, controversy, power manipulation, and the fight for liberty. Several of Browning’s poems explored the nature of overpowering and women’s secondary roles in relationships. She used themes of betrayal, treachery, and loss in her poems, often ending them with the women dead or silenced as an allusion to society’s invisible hand. By the 1840’s, she was publishing works featuring women who were independent and went against society’s expectations. Browning was not the only female author who used her post as a medium to express her
views. Jane Austen wrote several well-known books and by examining them, one can see how Austen wrote to combat the society norm. Pride and Prejudice is one of Austen’s most famous works, and her characters in the story give a visualization of how Austen saw the stereotypical genders. Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist, paints the clearest picture of how Austen wanted to reject the stereotype. She portrays Elizabeth just as intelligent as any of the men, perceives her to be one of the more advanced women in the novel, and writes the women who fall under the stereotypical category mockingly. Through examples of the Bingley sisters, the younger Bennet girls, Mrs. Bennet, and even Charlotte, Austen shows her distain for how they acted. According to Caroline Bingley, “a woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, dancing, drawing, and the modern languages to deserve the word,” (Austen 26). There is nothing of intelligence or good character involved in their definition. When most of the girls are described, they are said to be silly, not having any real character, often, they are gossipers and talk behind your back. Mrs. Bennet and the Bingley sisters are great examples of this. Mrs. Bennet is constantly talking with the neighbors and, not so subtly, making side comments. Caroline Bingley, when Elizabeth was at Netherfield while Jane was ill, barely attempted to conceal her comments towards Lizzie (Austen 27). Based on these, it can be clear to see that Austen did not agree with how they acted. Another main aspect that Austen challenges is that regarding marriage. She paints Lizzie as an intelligent and independent woman who refuses to marry just to be married. When Mr. Collins proposes to her, she rejects him because she knows neither of them will make each other happy. Charlotte accepts because she knows it is her only chance at being married; she is older than most, and does not expect to marry for love (“Pride and Prejudice…”). “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance,” (Austen 14). Austen exhibits the normal view of society on marriage through Charlotte. The way Charlotte acts would have been the typical way of things during that time. Both Austen and Wollstonecraft’s works can be compared by considering marriage to be based on love rather than necessity. Mary Wollstonecraft, Emily Browning, and Jane Austen used their writing to challenge the way society viewed women. Wollstonecraft can be viewed as the initial voice of woman against the issues, and many of those who followed looked up to her and her writing, “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. Emily Barrett Browning used her poetry to reject the expectations she had as a woman poet, and instead wrote about real issues facing the world. Jane Austen is one the more well-known voices, especially with Pride and Prejudice. All three of them worked to challenge and redesign the roles and expectations according to gender.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1995. Print
Avery, Simon. “Elizabeth Barrett Browning and The Woman Question.” British Library. 2011.
Web. 20 January 2017.
Block, Amber. “A Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft.” West Chester University. 2001. Web. 11
January 2017.
Cucinello, Partrice. “Mary Wollstonecraft.” Grinnel College. n.d. Web. 20 January 2017.
“Pride and Prejudice—Notes on Education, Marriage, Status of Women, etc.” The Republic of
Pemberly. n.d. Web. 23 January 2017.
outside of the home? Should they be able to vote and have a political voice? Can they own their own land? These questions were known as “The Women Question” (Avery). It was during the course of the 19th century when women’s rights were highly discussed and debated, especially over roles and rights. Many voices, particularly women’s, spoke up against the inequalities and made their points known. Some of the more prominent voices belonged to Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jane Austen. These three women used their writing platforms to speak out against what society was demanding upon them, and even today, are still noted as leading voices against the roles and expectations of gender. Mary Wollstonecraft is most commonly known for her written work of “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. In this work, she discussed how women were hindered in the areas of legal, economic, and educational matters. She argued that women should receive the same, equal rights as men, and by restricting half of society, they hinder half of its progress (Cucinello). Not only did Wollstonecraft speak against the hindrance, but she also encouraged and tried to empower women themselves, urging them to see education as a necessity and to have their own independence. Her view of independence perceived true freedom as only being available by remaining unmarried, and her story Maria told a tale of a women who was destroyed by her husband and gave illustration to Wollstonecraft’s interpretation of disabilities upon women. Writing was but one aspect of Wollstonecraft’s attempt to change society’s viewpoint. She also endeavored to open a school for girls; however, due to varying factors, the school failed (Block). Part of her issue was due to financial trouble, partly because of a close friend’s death, but a large part of it was that the girls she tried to teach had already been conditioned to society’s view of education for women. Not everyone, however, agreed with society. There were other women who spoke out against the society’s view of gender “equality”.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a poet who made her voice heard. Browning looked up to Wollstonecraft and admired her work and how her book “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” explicitly stated how women were denied anything meaningful in society due to their lack of real education. As a woman poet, Browning was expected to write about love, emotions, pious religion, or nature. Instead, she wrote about political and social issues: war, slavery, controversy, power manipulation, and the fight for liberty. Several of Browning’s poems explored the nature of overpowering and women’s secondary roles in relationships. She used themes of betrayal, treachery, and loss in her poems, often ending them with the women dead or silenced as an allusion to society’s invisible hand. By the 1840’s, she was publishing works featuring women who were independent and went against society’s expectations. Browning was not the only female author who used her post as a medium to express her
views. Jane Austen wrote several well-known books and by examining them, one can see how Austen wrote to combat the society norm. Pride and Prejudice is one of Austen’s most famous works, and her characters in the story give a visualization of how Austen saw the stereotypical genders. Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist, paints the clearest picture of how Austen wanted to reject the stereotype. She portrays Elizabeth just as intelligent as any of the men, perceives her to be one of the more advanced women in the novel, and writes the women who fall under the stereotypical category mockingly. Through examples of the Bingley sisters, the younger Bennet girls, Mrs. Bennet, and even Charlotte, Austen shows her distain for how they acted. According to Caroline Bingley, “a woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, dancing, drawing, and the modern languages to deserve the word,” (Austen 26). There is nothing of intelligence or good character involved in their definition. When most of the girls are described, they are said to be silly, not having any real character, often, they are gossipers and talk behind your back. Mrs. Bennet and the Bingley sisters are great examples of this. Mrs. Bennet is constantly talking with the neighbors and, not so subtly, making side comments. Caroline Bingley, when Elizabeth was at Netherfield while Jane was ill, barely attempted to conceal her comments towards Lizzie (Austen 27). Based on these, it can be clear to see that Austen did not agree with how they acted. Another main aspect that Austen challenges is that regarding marriage. She paints Lizzie as an intelligent and independent woman who refuses to marry just to be married. When Mr. Collins proposes to her, she rejects him because she knows neither of them will make each other happy. Charlotte accepts because she knows it is her only chance at being married; she is older than most, and does not expect to marry for love (“Pride and Prejudice…”). “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance,” (Austen 14). Austen exhibits the normal view of society on marriage through Charlotte. The way Charlotte acts would have been the typical way of things during that time. Both Austen and Wollstonecraft’s works can be compared by considering marriage to be based on love rather than necessity. Mary Wollstonecraft, Emily Browning, and Jane Austen used their writing to challenge the way society viewed women. Wollstonecraft can be viewed as the initial voice of woman against the issues, and many of those who followed looked up to her and her writing, “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. Emily Barrett Browning used her poetry to reject the expectations she had as a woman poet, and instead wrote about real issues facing the world. Jane Austen is one the more well-known voices, especially with Pride and Prejudice. All three of them worked to challenge and redesign the roles and expectations according to gender.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. 1813. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1995. Print
Avery, Simon. “Elizabeth Barrett Browning and The Woman Question.” British Library. 2011.
Web. 20 January 2017.
Block, Amber. “A Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft.” West Chester University. 2001. Web. 11
January 2017.
Cucinello, Partrice. “Mary Wollstonecraft.” Grinnel College. n.d. Web. 20 January 2017.
“Pride and Prejudice—Notes on Education, Marriage, Status of Women, etc.” The Republic of
Pemberly. n.d. Web. 23 January 2017.