1881-1910 Grace and Charlotte

Women In 1884- The Third Reform Bill was rejected for women to vote. Domestic and Private Spheres – The idea that men and women are in separate spheres. The Private and Domestic Sphere were predominantly the women’s sphere there was the ideology that women were weaker but morally stronger and therefore thought to up bring the next generation. The highest ranking job a women could accomplish was a teacher compared to men who could chose whatever career they wanted. The Suffragette Movement, originally called the British Women’s Social and Political Movement, was founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst which was organised due to the frustration of the lack of movement for the women’s vote. The membership of the Suffragettes was restricted to women. Lower Class Women: Women were employed to work in the factories rather than stay at home allowing women to support their family as well as the man. In Leeds, women made up 1/3 of the labour force in wool and ready made tailoring. Working Class women may have also been maids for middle class and upper class families as male servants were more expensive. Upper Class and Middle Class women: Upper class and middle women were educated compared to working class women. Whilst the upper class women would have been brought up and taught by Governesses, the middle class would have been educated as well as they could afford to send their children to school. However in 1880, education was made compulsory for all children, allowing women of all classes to be educated. However, girls were taught “accomplishments” such as sewing and music. In 1908 Elizabeth Garrett Anderson became the first women in Britain to be the Mayor of a town, Aldeburgh.

MEN When it comes to the separate spheres of men and women, men were regarded to have a Public Sphere because of their self-interest and aggression. Due to the Patriarchal System , men compared to women, had more freedom in their lives as they were considered the head of the family. Men were able to pursue whatever career they wanted. Until 1883, when married women could own and obtain their own property, Men were able to own their own property without having to be married.

Social Class There was a clear split in society with the three main classes being the Upper, Middle and Working class. The Upper Class consisted of aristocrats who inherited estates and had no need to work through out their life. The middle class had the most power compared to the classes as there was a number of aristocrats who managed and owned powerful industries such as mining and shipping. When it comes to the Middle Class, towards the late 19th Century increased due to the industrial revolution and the opening of new jobs,. This also abled the living standard of the working class to increase and also brought opportunities of education to the middle class children. For the Working Class, there was two types generally. With the moving to urban areas in the UK due to the industrial revolution, people became employed by factories in the big cities. However, the workers were split into skilled and unskilled. The skilled tended to have the labour jobs whilst the unskilled remained unemployed and relied on their children for an income. The living conditions of the poor was unimaginable, leading to epidemics such as the Cholera epidemic in London.

Political Movements The Suffragette Movement, originally called the British Women’s Social and Political Movement, was founded in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst which was organised due to the frustration of the lack of movement for the women’s vote. The membership of the Suffragettes was restricted to women. Another key political movement was the Trade Unions for skilled workers becoming legal in 1871, allowing workers to fight for their rights such as striking. The unskilled workers rights were slower at developing compared to the skilled workers. In 1888, there was the Match Girl strike where women were working a 14 hours day for 5 shillings a week or 25p in todays money. This was successful as the company was forced to change their policy.

Key Historical Movements During the 19th Century, invention and discovery was popular. One invention that is impacting our lives to this day is The Underground. In 1884, the first underground train is ran in London, allowing transport in London to be quicker and more convenient for those in London. Another invention that is still impacting our lives today is the use of electricity in the home. In 1881, Sir William Armstrong’s house became the first to run electricity with electric lamps powered by water from the local stream, creating opportunity of possibility of electricity to be ran in every home

Attitudes towards writers During the Victorian Era, reading became a popular pass time. During the start it was restricted to the middle and upper class who were educated but gradually towards the late 19th Century with the introduction of compulsory education for those under 10, reading was able to be taught by everyone. In 1884, after novels previously being expensive, a novel was only 4 shillings allowing people to have easier access to reading.

Key Themes Feminism Social Class Science vs Religion Industrialisation Utilitarianism Progress