Gateway Chronicle 2021

45
Hidden Voices
The Impact of Queen Victoria
on Womens’ Opportunities in
the 19th Century
To fully understand the impact Queen Victoria
had upon the women of the 19 th century, it is first
important to understand exactly what societal
expectations were placed upon them in the first
place. Although Queen Victoria was in a position of
power, it is possible to argue that her own views on
the expectations of women had a negative impact
on the opportunities presented to women throughout
her reign. Exploring the true influence of her
actions brings forward the interesting idea that she
was the catalyst to women beginning to take powerful
positions in the 20 th century.
Women were not expected to take part in academic
learning outside of domestic activities and one
critic, Richard D Altick stated that “a woman was
inferior to a man in all ways except the unique one
that counted most: her femininity. Her place was
in the home, on a veritable pedestal if one could
be afforded, and emphatically not in the world of
affairs.” The general expectation was that women
would marry in their early 20s and the average
groom would have been around 5 years older, although
girls as young as 15 were commonly forced
into marriages or engagements to men up to 20
years older for the societal and monetary gain of
their families. Young women growing up in Victorian
Britain had an endless variety of expectations
placed upon them and to meet these standards they
were expected to place themselves at the authority
of the men around them.
To marry and have children was seen by society as a
women’s destiny and for all classes marriage remained
the main goal of a women. Except for those
widowed, older women without the secure bond of
marriage were likely shunned from society. Single
women were pitied and attracted social disapproval.
But despite this one-third of all women over twenty
were unmarried in 1850. Young girls were not
expected to focus too ‘obviously’ on finding a husband,
being forward suggested a worrying sexual
appetite which was heavily frowned upon. Young
women were expected to remain chaste until marriage
and were sometimes not permitted to speak
to men unless there was a married woman present
as a chaperone. Victorian men expected women
to possess feminine qualities as well as innocence,
otherwise, they would not be of marriage potential.
Charles Petrie wrote in “Victorian Women Expected
to be Idle and Ignorant” that ‘Innocence was what
he demanded from the girls of his class, and they
must not only be innocent but also give the outward
impression of being innocent. White muslin,
typical of virginal purity, clothes many a heroine,
with delicate shades of blue and pink next in popularity.’
Fashion became increasingly volatile during
the Victorian era and because of the impracticality
and health impact of the eras fashion, a reform
movement began. However, in terms of a woman’s
gendered role and the societal expectations placed
upon her, fashion was an extremely important part
of day-to-day life. In some cases this dictated how
other women and men would treat you and in turn
your place in society.
The pressure to secure a marriage before becoming
infertile was a constant responsibility on the young
women of the Victorian era. Women received the
message from society, the Queen, printed materials,
and fashion trends that women should be at
home with children. The idea that motherhood was
a woman’s highest achievement never weakened
through the course of the century and it is in this
period that motherhood was idealised as the “zenith
of a woman’s emotional and spiritual fulfilment”.
These expectations from men and society pressured
women to embody the ideal women. The reality of
this ideal was often much harsher and difficult to
accept. Even now, we still see men influencing how
women are expected to behave and present themselves
in society, but Queen Victoria hardly provided
a standard to the young girls of the 19 th century.
During the 19 th century Queen Victoria was seen to
be the model of marital stability and domestic virtue
for women and she was often described as ‘the
mother of the nation’. So, just how impactful was
one of the most influential Queen’s Britain has seen,
on the women of the Victorian era?
Queen Victoria, as sovereign of the most powerful
empire at the time, had an immense amount of