Women in the British Society: The Emergence of Female Writers

 The status of women has been witnessing dramatic changes throughout the history. These changes have not taken the  same form or directions, they rather differ from one place and another and from one culture to another. In the British society of the nineteenth century also called the Victorian period society, man was seen as the symbol of superiority, whereas woman was seen as the inferior side in the society.                                                                                           

     People at that time used to think that  men are mentally and physically stronger than women. Consequently, the participation of women in social or labor activities was believed to be harmful for women as this might cause physical and/or mental problems for them. Such a belief stood in the way of women to be useful and influential members in the society. Moreover, it constrained them from doing many activities in the society, and consequently, deprive them of so many chances to grow and fulfill their aims, and to take important roles in the society (Sindradóttir, 2015).                                            

    New concepts related to the discrimination between man and woman have been initiated. These concepts were meant to draw lines for women, which they cannot cross if they want to be safe and not at least criticized (Rendall ,1985). The concept of distinct spheres was introduced at that time to show women their status and the role they can play in the society. This sphere which should be occupied by women was named the "domestic sphere", whereas men could occupy and enjoy the "public sphere". This domestic  focus of women's lives, to be narrowly limited to home and family, was justified and given ideological unity in the nineteenth century by a range of arguments, resting on women‘s nature, on God's ordinances, on the evidence of past and present societies (ibid:189).                                                                                                        

     Actually, women were treated as servants to their males and they were only expected to do the housework including taking care of kids inside the house. This was applicable to middle and upper class women. However, lower-class women frequently went to work outside the house with poorly paid works. They were often employed for domestic services or in factories (Keche & Mammeri, 2017).                                                                                                              

     One of the major changes that took place in this era, in addition to several social and industrial changes, was the rise of the "Women‘s Suffrage Movement" or what was known as women‘s right to vote. This change happened between 1860 and 1928 to mark a very important incident in the history of Britain. According to, Keche & Mammeri (2017), "The British women's suffrage movement generated several organizations which reflected considerable differences on the matters of political strategy. The beginning of "Reformism" during the 19th century unlocked new chances for reformers to deal with concerns women encountered, so a new movement was initiated. The first well-constructed and planned for steps was British women's suffrage which was headed and monitored by Barbara Bodichon and Bessie Rayner Parkes Wroath. They also worked to establish female rights and made them approved by the law. These rights included the right to have equal chances in employment, education, and marriage. It was then that women were allowed to have  control on their own properties and run them, and widows were given the chance to vote in some local votes; however, this ended in 1835.                                       

    children of divorced women were given to the father before 1839. The custody of these children was the right of the fathers as they were the head of the household ( Hilton ,2006) . Caroline Norton was one of these women, who was deprived of her three kids after being divorced. Her tragic story resulted in issuing a very famous act called "Custody of Infants Act " passed in 1839. Based on this act, women had the right to have access to their children under seven years, and might give some discretion to the judge in case of children custody cases in court. Nevertheless, financial support remained the responsibility of the father. According to, Keche and Mammeri (2017, P. 8), "divorce was not a common practice at that time, and it was considered as societal taboo. In fact, the only reason of divorce which was acceptable in the Victorian era was adultery. Divorced women were only a minority at that time, on the other hand, married women was the majority of women. Moreover, a great number of women never got married.                                                        

Stone (1990) affirms that in the 19th century, poor men used to abandon their wives or even selling them to avoid the divorce. Women could not do anything to avoid these cruel practices, because they were controlled by their husbands, who had the economic and legal powers over their wives.                                

      Halévy (1934) reports that the "Matrimonial Causes Act" issued in 1857 was the first crucial judicial success women achieved . The Act passed despite the vigorous apposition  of the English church traditions. Divorce, According to the new Act,  became a civil affair controlled by the civil court rather than a religious affair settled by the church.                                                                                

    Women got more protection via four laws collectively known as the Married Women's Property Act. This series of laws was decreed by Parliament in the period between 1870 to 1882. The basic right women acquired through this Act is that any restrictions which may prevent rich married women from controlling and running their own possessions had been removed. This was a field where men saw them superior to women, who were not allowed to practice real ownership on their wealth, but now equality was achieved in this respect. Similarly, working class women got more protection via a series of laws motivated by the supposition that, like children, working class women could not have full trading power, and thus required protection by the government (Lyndon, 1986).                                                                                               

The Edwardian era, from the 1890's to the First World War (1914) witnessed the fall of women Victorian constraints on the hand of middleclass women, after which women became more active and had more work prospects. Many women started to serve in different areas of the British Empire or in missionaries well-known in Protestant regions (Burman, 1999). British housewives learnt how to use sewing machines, and then they could wear ready-made clothes. Moreover, they can sew their own clothes. This lessened the " tensions in their lives." (ibid), and they could deal with social changes taking place around them. The rise of women who belong to the middle class led to more and increasing public support to offer them a space where they can express their political will and voice (Pugh, 1980). In 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst originated the "Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)", which is a suffrage support association.                                              

     One of the reasons that enhanced females in the 20th century was The First World War. This was because women were required to do several roles in the society, and hence their sacrifices and services became more respected. The radical suffragette association was put off during the war and not ever continued. The British people evaluated the faithful roles women played and granted women the right to vote in 1918. Ultimately, women in Britain attained suffrage on equal standards with men in 1928 (Taylor, 1965).                                                       

     Second World War proved the success Britain showed in making the war the people's war i.e. the British home was in the front for the war effort. During the war, people worked hard to mobilize the utmost proportion of possible workers, make the most of output, assign the right skills to the right task, and maintain the self-esteem and essence of the people. This success was largely ascribed to the systematic deliberate mobilization of women to be workers, soldiers and housewives, and that became official after December 1941 by conscription. Consequently, women were reported to be good supporters of the war efforts. Women were partly motivated and encouraged to do all what they can for the war effort because the government used to give promises of welfare and quality.                                                                     

       Despite the fact that the 19th century was a male-dominated era in which males dominated each and every aspect of life including literature, a great number of female writers emerged in British during their quest for a respectable status in their communities, and also after they really achieved that status. Most of these writers reflected in their writings the suffering of women caused by the male-dominant society. This century witnessed the emergence of wonderful female writers such as Jane Austen, George Eliot, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Shelley and the Brontë sisters. No doubt there are several other female writers, who were effective in this era. Those women writers played a great role in enabling women in different parts of the world gain their rights and equality and  the majority of them succeeded to add to and influence the literary prospect of that century.                                                                      

    Actually, it was not easy for female writers to get into this area that was completely dominated by males. They rather encountered various types of difficulties. Of these difficulties is that since they are very young, girls were not permitted to read freely i.e. some topics were out of the reach of these girls. Conversely, boys were free to read in all types written literature. Consequently, the variety of novels accessible by men or boys was much richer than that accessible by girls. Some types of novels were not "appropriate" for girls, so they were not allowed to read them. For example, "adventure novels with strong spirited heroes", were not advisable for women (Sindradóttir, 2015, P. 5). Rowbotham (1989. 8) explains that both men and women were given certain social instructions to which they must adhere. Thus, both sexes felt that they were constrained by these social models; however, men seemed to be satisfied with these constraints as they were not so strict to them. Women, on the other hand, were not at all satisfied with these  social constraints as they were too strict and biased, therefore, women to rebel was an investable and well justified action. The social stereotypical roles imposed on girls were clearly seen in the novels offered for girls, in which girls and women were presented performing these roles and behaving accordingly. The society saw in these writings a good chance to let women realize their roles and the position they should uphold in in the society. Any girl or woman who acted badly or crossed the red lines designated by the society would be regarded wicked. Conversely, "if a boy behaved badly, he was just exhibiting his masculine traits" (Daniel, 2006, P. 39).                                                                                                                  

     According to Daniel (2006, PP. 42-43), a well-known sample of writers who were keen on enhancing the roles outlined by the society was a female novelist named Maria Edgeworth. She did not write to empower women or to consolidate their rights and equality, she rather wrote to consolidate the moral recommendations and robust views to be respected by women, and based on which they should behave. An example of her novels are "Belinda" that was published in 1801, and the "Patronage" that was published in 1814.In the first novel, Edgeworth highlighted the significance of girls having shy wishes and needs. Moreover, she stressed that boys can have overbearing wishes and desires. What was even worse is that Edgeworth asked girls and women must struggle for their roles and the morals imposed on them.                                   

    Novels such as Edgeworth's and the like were later called "didactic fiction" that strengthened gender-roles, rather than attempting to consolidate girls' status as a free and helpful member of the society. Thus, didactic fiction was ?fuelled by the wish to control as far as possible, if not stifle, independent feminine desires (Rowbotham, 1989, P. 12).                                                                  

     Despite all these difficulties, several female writers emerged to challenge the rules imposed by the male dominated society through writing novels. Of these writers are the Brontë sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot. They presented their novels' heroines to show the society that women have the ability to be passionate and strong.                                                                            Furthermore, they exhibited the case of women who are imprisoned in the local domain, whereas, they should be enabled to contribute to the public domain (Rowbotham, 1989, P. 21).                                                                              

    At the beginning, these female writers wrote under a male false name so that they can avoid the constraints placed on them. That was exactly what happened with George Eliot and the Brontë sisters. For why did female novelists used pseudonyms names in their publications, a few practical reasons have been presented by Showalter (1977), Rowbotham (1989) and Sindradóttir (2015). Firstly, female novelists wanted to cross over the restrictions, which had been placed on female writers. Secondly, female novelists aimed to be appreciated and categorized with the same standards used to appreciate and rank male writers. People used to value female writings in relation to other female writings, and eventually they were evaluated as women, who were usually thought of as inferior to men. Critics used to evaluate males' writings differently from female's writings. Critics used to too harsh prejudiced against women writers. This was vividly reported when critics discovered that Currer Bell was not a man, it was rather Charlotte Brontë. Their attitudes to the writing of the same writer changed dramatically when the gender was known to be woman not a man. It was until much later that critics acknowledged the talent and intellect female writers had. The following is an example of female novelists with great talents and ambitions. They are the Brontë  sisters, who were and still are known for their big influence on the female literature in general and women novelists in particular.                                                                                       

References:                                                                     

Burman, Barbara. (1999). "Made at home by clever fingers: home dressmaking            in Edwardian England", in Burman, Barbara (ed.), The culture of sewing:           gender, consumption, and home dressmaking, Oxford New York: Berg, p.          34, ISBN 9781859732083.

Halévy, Élie (1934), A history of the English people, London: Ernest Benn.

Hilton, Boyd. (2006)."Ruling ideologies: the status of women and ideas about             gender", in Hilton, Boyd (ed.), A mad, bad, and dangerous people?:                    England, 1783-1846, Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, pp.                353–355, ISBN 9780198228301.

Keche, H., & Mammeri, C. (2017). Women’s Suffrage Movement in Britain:            The Long Road toward Women’s Rights (1850/1928)(Unpublished                     Doctoral dissertation), University of Tlemcen: Algeria.    

Lyndon Shanley, Mary (Autumn 1986). "Suffrage, protective labor legislation,        and Married Women's Property Laws in England". Signs: Journal of Women        in Culture and Society. Chicago Journals. 12 (1): 62– 77.                                     doi:10.1086/494297. JSTOR 3174357.

Pugh, Martin (1980). Women's suffrage in Britain, 1867-1928. London:                        Historical Association. ISBN 9780852782255.      

Rendall, Jane. The Origins of Modern Feminism: Women in Britain, France,               and the United States, 1780-1860. New York: Macmillan, 1985. Print.        

Sindradóttir, T. S. (2015). Nineteenth Century Women Writers and the                          Challenge of Gender Roles:  Feminist Heroines in the Novels of the                    Brontë Sisters (Doctoral dissertation). University of Iceland, Iceland. 

Stone, L. (1990). Road to divorce: England 1530-1987 (Vol. 180). Oxford: Oxford University Press.                                                                         

Taylor, Q. (2000). The African American experience: A history of Black Americans from 1619 to 1890. Washington: University of Washington.