The Victorians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Victorians - Essay Example A woman had to be virgin a so as to be considered a potential wives. She had to remain innocent as well as not having sexual or love thoughts before marriage. Such a requirement was not expected for men. Women were believed to have sexuality as their controller hence needed to be regulated hence the society demanded unquestionable compliance from a woman while no man was expected to do so. After marriage, a woman’s rights, identity and poverty ceased. The husband supervised her completely as per the law, owning the children, her property as well as her. Wife beating and rape was legal. Women held a significant position in marriage since they cared for household, servants as well as management of finances; however, men viewed them as overly emotional as well as mindless controlled by sexuality. Whatever a woman did was not seen to be as important as the work of a man. Motherhood could be separated from anything sexual almost all the time. Sex was not for pleasure for them but mainly for bearing kids. Sex for pleasure was viewed scandalous and dirty. Purity was significant for mothers to get appreciation. Mothers needed to be religious because religion supported women’s view of sexual satisfaction and passion. With lack of religious faith, a woman was unable to inspire sexual propriety within her daughter, hence not fit t be a mother. Adultery for men was allowed but for women it could lead to divorce. Adultery for men could only lead divorce if it were compounded by a different matrimonial offence for instance dissertation or cruelty. Prostitution was legal at this time and it was the second category. There was no that much difference between mothers and prostitutes in the sense that men saw all women as whores. However, prostitutes were referred to as the fallen women whom deserved disrespect and shame. All other professions were nt meant for omen except