genders role in Victorian era

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Gender Roles in the Victorian Era
Introduction
The Victorian era symbolizes a time when the lines between the genders were distinct, as every person knew their role and expectations. The society was patriarchal, the man who was the provider, the protector, and moral authority leader of the family. The woman, however, was a nurturer, caregiver, and the supporter of her husband’s actions. The society expected that all genders would abide by the set standards and codes of conduct, and shunned anyone that disobeyed these statues. People viewed women as the fairer and weaker sex; where the wife’s or mother’s place in the hierarchy was secondary to that of the husband and father. Genetics was adhered to strictly, such that Victoria became the leader of the United Kingdom in the 19th century. Although, throughout this era, the gender roles were distinct, from the book ‘Lady Audley’s Secret’ we see a mockery of the traditional system where the women are calm, pure, incapable of violence, but Braddon shows us the real character is not in appearances and set norms but in their actions. These women are strong, bright, vile, manipulative, treacherous, and capable of violence.
Gender Roles
In book ‘Lady Audrey’s Secret,’ the author purposely breaks away from the expectations of the society on feminism. The Victorian era showcases a period where the options and opportunities for women were highly restricted, while a lot of emphases were on their character, appearance, and behavior.

But the book portrays the women as resolute, brilliant, and manipulative of people and situations to advance their lot. For instance, Hellen Talboys changes her name to Lucy Graham to escape her poverty through seeking a job as governess to the children of the surgeon (Dawson). She is a liar by omission as she does not reveal that she is a wife and a mother, deceiving all people that love her and committing bigamy and attempts murder of her first husband, George Talboys. These actions are contrary to the expectations of women in the Victorian era; described as beautiful, fair tempered, innocent, and devotees of their husbands and family. The icon of the ideal femininity is deflated to reveal the artificiality of the women’s nature tested through character and not their appearances (Braddon 121). The position of the governess is appropriate in that era since such employed women earned an income but still conformed to the societal norms where women worked within the home. Any lady would avoid any public occupation, which the society saw as unladylike and immodest (Vicinus 6-7).
During that era, the society saw men as physically strong, masculine, athletic, outspoken, bright, and of morally superior character. The culture elevated the men expense of the women but time and again the book shows the strength of the women. Such that Clara Talboys who says that she can behave like a man and pursue vengeance for her brother if there is a need, expressing her self-belief and strength. Alicia Audley is athletic, strong-willed, and outspoken, and due to this attributes she is less attractive to Robert. Robert and other men of his era wanted a woman who is innocent, beautiful, sweet-tempered and depends on her husband. The society shunned independent women, and the social inequality between the genders is the reason women started advocacy groups to fight for cultural spaces, equal pay, and admission to new economic activities. Understanding the challenges faced by the different genders in the Victorian era will help in creating a more socially inclusive society (Bradley 67-68).
There was a division of work assignments on the gender basis, where the men would participate in productive economic activities in the public sector. They could vote for their leaders and were the family spokesperson. The women would handle all the domestic chores within the privacy of their homes (Vicinus 143). Their key role was bearing and taking care of children and the homestead. Lady Audley prepares tea and gives to Robert as a symbol of her femininity and an essential domestic ritual in the era (Braddon 748).
The men provided for their families, and when George Talboy’s father disinherits him for marrying a woman who has no money, he sets out to Liverpool to create an income for his young wife and son. He expected to make a fortune and be back within a year, but it took him three years, and in all these time, his young wife Hellen and son are suffering under the household of her drunkard father. Loneliness and poverty set the background for the book where she engages in unethical activities to survive like abandoning her son to travel to London in search of a job and to escape her humble background. The era displays the dependence of women on the men, as they lacked skills to do economic activities that they could earn an income. Braddon states that: ‘it is better the pretty influence of the teacups and saucers gracefully wielded in a woman’s hand than all the inappropriate power snatched at the point of the pen from the unwilling sterner sex,’ this is a clear depiction of the expectations of women regarding economic earnings. In an agreement, Tosh (13) states that ‘Masculine self-respect demanded that a man provides for his family and those who failed face shame.’ It was mandatory for a man to provide for his family.
In the middle-class homes, the entire family participated in economic activities. Placing food on their table was as a result of all the efforts of all the family members, although most of the responsibilities rested on the shoulders of the man/father. The women and mothers did the production of goods to take to the market for sale, while the men handled professional activities. The children were part of the family labor force, and either parent would call them to run some errands. The children and other younger relatives became apprentices in their parents’ economic activities and learned the trade as a matter of a succession process (Tosh 15). But in the upper-class homes, the women did no household chores as they had servants to handle the kitchen and food preparation, nannies for the children, and other servants to clean and weed the gardens and compound. The men took care of the finances, and the inherited properties and some attended meetings in the government offices and participated in the politics of the area. Lastly, for the poor or low-class families, all the family members became servants to care for the welfare of the upper-class families. The women were the maids, nannies, and cooks while the male members became the man-servants, gardeners, drivers, and farm help.
The women of letters expressed their thoughts, reviews, and findings showcasing that they are bright and can use their brains to solve the societal problems. In analyzing their past historical cultures, they argue that there was no need for competition between the genders, but emphasized on complementation of each other. Both the middle-class men and women were fighting for cultural space to explore and social power and authority (Shires 6-9). Similarly, Lady Audley expresses her keen intelligence by analyzing Robert’s character and terming it madness using scientifically approved diagnosis and terminologies. She uses her knowledge to assert her power and control over her husband, Sir Michael Audley and he chases Robert from their home (Braddon 286-288).
Conclusion
Gender roles are shifting, and the lines between the genders are slowly becoming blurred as both men and women are handling the activities meant for the opposite sex. Throughout the Victorian era, the society made efforts to ensure that the roles of each gender are kept distinct to the latter, but authors like Braddon and Tosh depict the changes in societal expectations and the reality. While Bradley advocates for social inclusion by breaking the social hierarchy and Shires and Vicinus looked at the middle-class families where all family members had a part to play in handling work assignments. These authors focused on differentiating the proper and improper women seen through the eyes of the society.
In the traditional system, society saw women as pure, calm, devoted, and dependent on the men in their lives, but Braddon explains the greed, manipulation, deceit, and violence at the hand of these women as they seek elevation from the social status. It is also clear that personal character is not determined through appearance or biology, but assessing the person’s behavior, actions and deeds.
Works Cited
Braddon, Mary Elizabeth. “Lady Audley’s Secret. 1862 ” Ed. David Skilton. New York: Oxford UP (1987).
Bradley, Harriet. Fractured identities: Changing patterns of inequality. John Wiley & Sons, 2015
Shires, Linda M., ed. Re-writing the Victorians: Theory, history, and the politics of gender. Routledge, 2012
Tosh, John. A man’s place: masculinity and the middle-class home in Victorian England. Yale University Press, 2007
Vicinus, Martha, ed. Suffer and Be Still (Routledge Revivals): Women in the Victorian Age. Routledge, 2013