You only need to focus on the last section for now – The Victorian Ideal. After you make the way through the material write about what you’ve learned about the Victorian era – trying focusing on the Victorian woman and her role at home and in society.
Also, what are specific gender role rules that you came across.
How would you characterize this era in terms of societal roles?
While this discussion doesn’t have you focusing on Dracula yet, I wanted you to start getting a feel for a novel set in that time period. You start seeing the role of a Victorian gentleman by the character of Jonathan Harker.
“ In the Victorian era depending on your social status and location as a woman but mainly focusing on the middle-class and upper class, the ideal mindset that was brought upon women during the Victorian era was that one should grow up and seek a partner to marry this was because women’s rights were very restricted during this time period. The rights women had during this era were very little to non at all men viewed women as emotional and unstable to make rational decisions. Once a woman married she belonged to her husband from any property she may own, any income she may have received from it all is passed to her husband she does not have the right to any of her belongings without her husband’s consent. The stereotypical Victorian women’s job as a wife was to devote time to taking care and giving birth to the kids, dedicating time to cook and wash that is if they do not have help to do all the chores this was a privilege most upper-class women had some middle class as a wheel. The way that women were seen less than men can form the idea that men were motivated by intellectual strength all while women were defined by their sexuality. Women were considered belongings therefore everyone believed that women did not need to be educated because that would make women seem much more masculine. The stereotypical ideal look that women during this era were trying to achieve was this natural beauty that made them seem like a “delicate flower” by doing some dangerous and sometimes even poisonous home remedies. The beauty standard that was accepted by society’s strict guidelines was the idea of “natural beauty” they were expected to look beautiful by looking this distinct way but were critiqued for wearing makeup to help them achieve looking that way. Although during the Victorian era makeup was associated with prostitutes and actresses the majority of the Victorian women were still using makeup in secret. The goal is that the makeup was being applied very light or even appearing as if any makeup was on. Women who were less fortunate were mainly the lower class and some middle class but focusing on the working-class Working women who had no choice and were sometimes forced to work due to their husbands dying or not being unable to work, they still had to feed their kids and put a roof over their heads. Working women during the Victorian era were criticized by society for working although they were doing the same jobs as men they were still being paid less than men. Men and society were making it very difficult for women in the work field to even advance in their work field. They were often harassed at their jobs given men more chances to crimes against women without having any sort of consequence. The Victorian era was a “man’s world” and women were nothing but objects who had little to no right.”
