1.1.5
Women
Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
Restricted Lives of Nineteenth-Century Women
Despite the fact that there was a woman on the British throne in Victorian England (Queen Victoria), women had very restricted lives.
Property and money
- Women had no property or money of their own – they were not allowed to own them – and were dependent on their husbands, fathers or, in some cases, their sons.
- Women could only inherit money from dead relatives if there was no other living male relative.
- Women usually had to rely on marrying a man to gain some financial stability.
Expectations about family
- Women were expected to marry and have children – Victorian families were generally quite large.
- Victorian women were expected to act as submissive mothers and wives. They were supposed to be vulnerable and modest.
Restrictions on voting
- Women had no rights and could not vote.
Restrictions on dressing
- Middle and upper-class women wore impractical clothes (long, bulky dresses), designed to make them look modest, attractive and wealthy.
Restricted Job Opportunities for Women
Some women had to look for paid work outside the home, but job opportunities for women were severely restricted.
Working-class women
- Domestic service was the largest employer of women.
- Textiles and clothing businesses were also a large employer of women.
- Other employment sectors included seamstressing, laundry work, cleaning, pottery, and brewing.
Middle-class women
- Some continued family businesses after their husbands’ deaths.
- A significant number of unmarried middle-class women joined careers which were more suitable for their social status - they became governesses, inn-keepers and hat-makers.
Upper-class women
- These women could usually be ladies of leisure, enjoying a more relaxed life of overseeing the running of their households, planning and attending parties, and charity work.
Mary Morstan and Victorian Conventions about Women
In The Sign of the Four, Mary Morstan follows the Victorian conventions for women.
Role of Mary Morstan
- Mary Morstan has a modest role as a governess, she is shielded from the most horrific events in the story, and she appears vulnerable and in need of a protector.
Quotation about Mary Morstan
- ‘She was seated by the open window, dressed in some sort of white diaphanous material’.
- Mary waits at the window for her saviours to return after solving the case.
- She is dressed in white, representing her innocence and vulnerability.
1Context
2Plot Summary
2.1Chapter Summaries
3Characters
3.1Key Characters
3.2Other Characters
3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Key Themes
5Writing Techniques
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Characters Quotes
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
6.2.1Chapter 1 - Quotations6.2.2Chapter 2 - Quotations6.2.3Chapter 3 - Quotations6.2.4Chapter 4 - Quotations6.2.5Chapter 5 - Quotations6.2.6Chapter 6 - Quotations6.2.7Chapter 7 - Quotations6.2.8Chapter 8 - Quotations6.2.9Chapter 9 - Quotations6.2.10Chapter 10 - Quotations6.2.11Chapter 11 - Quotations6.2.12Chapter 12 - Quotations
Jump to other topics
1Context
2Plot Summary
2.1Chapter Summaries
3Characters
3.1Key Characters
3.2Other Characters
3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters
4Key Themes
5Writing Techniques
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Characters Quotes
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
6.2.1Chapter 1 - Quotations6.2.2Chapter 2 - Quotations6.2.3Chapter 3 - Quotations6.2.4Chapter 4 - Quotations6.2.5Chapter 5 - Quotations6.2.6Chapter 6 - Quotations6.2.7Chapter 7 - Quotations6.2.8Chapter 8 - Quotations6.2.9Chapter 9 - Quotations6.2.10Chapter 10 - Quotations6.2.11Chapter 11 - Quotations6.2.12Chapter 12 - Quotations
Practice questions on Women
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1What did Victorian women NOT have?Fill in the list
- 2Expectations on Victorian women:True / false
- 3Common professions for unmarried, middle-class women:Fill in the list
- 4What was the largest employer of working-class women?Multiple choice
- 5
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