Why Were Attitudes Toward Women Changing In Mid-19th Century Britain?

Why were attitudes towards women changing in mid-nineteenth century Britain?
During the mid-nineteenth century attitudes towards women in Britain were beginning to gradually change. Previously, the majority of people believed that women’s main role in society was to manage domestic chores in the home and raise her children as it was believed that this was a ‘sufficient emotional fulfilment for females’ . Due to the fact that this construct had become the accepted gender role for the majority of women in British society, women and men were viewed as ‘separate spheres’ .Men were viewed as part of the ‘public sphere’ therefore in Victorian society a woman was typically expected to keep away from this field and fulfil her duties in the home.
However, as Britain transformed into an industrial nation this led to many profound consequences and positive changes that were able to progressively transform the way that women’s roles were perceived in society.

Whilst analysing attitudes towards women during this period of history and trying to understand the reasons behind these changes in the way that British society perceived and treated women, it can be identified that one of the reasons for these changes was as a result of Britain transforming into an industrial nation. Throughout the period of the British industrial revolution, many significant changes took place which resulted in British manufactured goods dominating world trade . Predominantly in some industries such as textiles, substantial changes took place in the advancements in technology and in the organisation of production which led to a dramatic growth in productivity . As a consequence of this dramatic growth, this led to an increased demand for female labour. The industrial revolution was able to help in the progression towards a change in attitudes towards women during the mid-nineteenth century in some ways. This can be supported further by evidence which shows that although women were generally paid significantly less than men, the industrial revolution was able to provide greater access to better variety of jobs for women that earlier they wouldn’t have been able to do. Historian, Accampo holds the view that whereas before the industrial revolution the majority of British men in society held strong patriarchal views, the new role of women working outside of the home began to threaten these views. Due to the fact that factories put many husbands, wives and children under the same conditions and authority of the manufacturer masters, Accampo believes that this gradually began undermine the old patriarchal society. As well as this, it ‘was not unusual for married women with children to work full-time in early English factories’ and some women even began making big contributions towards their family household income, through this paid labour . From this view and evidence, it can be suggested that to some extent attitudes towards women had begun to slowly change. As the industrial revolution opened up new employment opportunities for some women, one of the effects that this had on British society was the introduction of a new range of ideas surrounding the stereotypical roles assigned to males and females where females were beginning to be viewed as more than just being a home-maker and this also started to challenge the idea that women were the ‘weaker sex’.
In addition to more employment opportunities and the way this changed women’s role and status in society, the change in legislations, awareness of girl’s educational rights and the role of individuals can also be seen as an explanation for why attitudes towards women were slowly changing in the mid-nineteenth century. By the mid-nineteenth century, early women’s movements were beginning to primarily focus on prevalent issues that were a major concern to women, included issues such as property, marriage, education and employment. Through the intervention of many individuals and Victorian feminists, women were able to demonstrate that their work in ‘philanthropy, public works and organising’ would demonstrate to other women that they ‘could participate in the public sphere’ . From the beginning of the nineteenth century it had increasingly been recognised that there was a ‘need to educate women beyond the elementary level’ . By the mid-nineteenth century this issue had been researched into further, the statistics showed that in 1864 when a Schools Enquiry Commission surveyed secondary education, they saw a ‘general defiency in girl’s education’ and recorded only 12 public secondary schools for girls in England and Wales . These statistics led to more government intervention and in 1870 the Elementary Education Act was passed. Although many historians would argue that this act had very little impact on girls’ education, which was shown by the fact that many girls continued receiving no basic education, this act was still beneficial in some aspects as it allowed women to vote for the School Boards. As well as this, women were also given the right to be candidates that would be able to serve on the School Boards .A historian, John Simkin, adds that ‘several feminists saw this as an opportunity to show they were capable of public administration’ . Evidence of this could be seen through the examples of four women who had been elected to the local School Board in 1870. These examples of individuals can be viewed as a milestone for women all over Britain, as it was able to demonstrate and set an example for other Victorian women to show that they were also intellectual members of society who had a voice, a right to share opinions and rights to an education that were equal to men. Following on from this, the mid-Victorian period began to see greater more roles for women outside of the home and there became an increasing awareness for feminism during the Victorian period. At a time when women had no place in national politics and weren’t even allowed to vote, the industrial revolution gave more women the opportunity to ‘shift out of the home and into the streets’ . As women began to evaluate their own importance as citizens and were beginning to understand that they could play an important role in working for political and social causes, they realised that the first step towards this change was through gaining the right to vote. Barbara Caine expresses the view that Victorian feminism was characterised by a “celebration of women’s self-sacrifice, which is seen as having the capacity to bring social and moral transformation, alongside a protest against the prevailing sexual hierarchy and an endorsement of rather conservative familial and moral values” . Linking to Caine’s view on Victorian feminism, this can be supported by the introduction of the Suffrage Movement. Although in the late nineteenth century this movement was only in the initial stages of being introduced to parliament and the right to vote was granted in the early to mid-twentieth century, this campaign was important for many reasons. One of the main reasons why the Suffrage Movement can be seen as significant is because it provides evidence of the fact that changes towards equality had begun to take place. Many women had recognised during this period, that if they were going to work towards ‘serious social change’ gaining the right to vote ‘was a necessity’ . To an extent, these gradual changes in mid-nineteenth century society can be helpful when trying to understand the reason behind why attitudes towards women were beginning to change as the evidence demonstrates how women themselves were able to help in changing the way that they were perceived in society. As well as this, through some individuals’ work towards change they were able inspire other females and begin to break down the barriers between the sexes, which in turn led to a progression towards changes in attitudes towards women.

Linking to the previous point about legislations, that were introduced in attempt to give women more rights and equality in comparison to men, in late Victorian Britain the position of women improved in many important areas which were mainly as a result of individuals’ struggles.
One such example of this is the Divorce Reform Act which was passed in 1857 . Caroline Norton was one such figure who suffered immensely because of the laws that were in place during the nineteenth century and as a result of this, she campaigned for a ‘change in the laws that discriminated against women’ . Norton decided to take some action and published pamphlets on these issues, which included English Laws for Women in the Nineteenth Century (1854) and a letter to the Queen on Lord Cranworth's Marriage and Divorce Bill (1855) . Partly as a result of Norton’s efforts, Parliament in 1857 passed the Marriage and Divorce Act . This act was a symbol of progression towards a change in attitudes towards women, as it was the first time that the issue of married women’s financial disabilities were discussed in Parliament and in the press . Towards the end of the nineteenth century, there were more examples of encouraging acts and changes in legislation which were viewed as an accomplishment for Victorian feminists who were eager to see changes in attitudes towards the treatment of women in Victorian society. By 1870 the Married Women’s Property Act was passed. This act allowed married women to own their property, whereas before this women would have to transfer all their property to their husbands after marriage .Prior to this, divorce heavily favoured men as it allowed any property to remain only in their possession. However through this act it allowed women to keep their property regardless of whether they were divorced, single or widowed . In many ways this act can be viewed as tremendously significant as it marked the viewpoint that women were entitled to keep what belonged to them and also
represented the fact that women also had the right to be treated as an individual human being and not a second class citizen. Although there were many individuals who fought for equality during the Victorian period, one other such example which was very significant when attempting to understand why attitudes towards women were beginning to change is the example of writer John Stuart Mill. In 1867 Mill addressed the Parliament on behalf of England’s first voting rights committee where he presented 1,550 signatures urging action to extend full citizenship to women . In 1869, Mill published his book, The Subjection of Women . Mill’s book analysed the issue of gender equality and women’s status. This book ‘enjoyed an immediate and lasting success’ and was also immediately translated into many other languages. Mill’s actions can be seen as highly significant as the symbolised a progression towards change which had be presented in Parliament by a well-known writer and a man who had decided to voice his opinions about the injustices that women were facing rather than it being only females who were fighting for their rights in Victorian society.

Overall, when attempting to understand and answer why attitudes were beginning to change in mid-nineteenth century Britain, it can be recognised that there were many contributing and linking factors which led to a gradual and progressive change in Victorian society. Although it must be taken into consideration that for many working class women life continued to remain the same and the majority of Victorian society still continued holding onto traditional values on gender roles, through the impact of the industrial revolution, some level of awareness of girls educational needs by the government and struggle that many individuals faced in an attempt to change the laws as well as trying to change people’s mind-set led to a change in attitudes towards women. Without the industrial revolution many women would not have had the opportunity to be away from their traditional duties hence allowing them to understand the injustices in the Victorian era. In some ways, this can be seen to have led those individuals to join significant movements, campaigns and petitions that began to highlight the issues that were prevalent during this period and begin to start making a difference. Lastly, it is also important to mention here that although there continued to be many limitations within the Victorian society and in the legal system later; the Victorian era was a time of many significant victories and milestones and the beginning of journey towards gender equality and fair treatment for women.