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Women in the Late-19 th Century. Women Social Disabilities. Couldn’t own property Could not have separate bank accounts Could not save money Could not take job w/o husband permission Had few legal rights. Married Women’s Property Act.
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Women Social Disabilities • Couldn’t own property • Could not have separate bank accounts • Could not save money • Could not take job w/o husband permission • Had few legal rights
Married Women’s Property Act • Passed in Britain, allowed for women to own property in their own name.
Divorce • Illegal in most European countries. • Adultery was the most common reason for divorce but it had to be proven.
Parental Rights • In nearly all cases of divorce, child custody was awarded to the father.
Birth Control • In most European countries, any form of contraception or abortion was illegal.
Education • Few European countries allowed women to attend secondary schools or universities. • An educated woman would affect the traditional gender roles.
The Job Front • Late 19th century saw a decline in female laborers as men’s wages increased. • Women continued to receive low wages for their work.
The Putting Out System • Huge manufacturers would make cloth. • This cloth would then get shipped to tailors, sweatshops, and homes. • Few factories actually made clothes.
Prostitution • Involved 1000’s of young women in major cities. • Sought this line of work due to an overcrowded female work force. • Most were found in major military cities.
Factual Information • Very few child prostitutes existed, although the press at the time sensationalized stories about them. • Nearly all were between the ages of 18-25. • Nearly all were not forced into that line of work.
Middle Class Women • No longer helped with finances. • Their job was to take care of the domestic duties, be involved in the Church, and display acts of charity.
Middle Class Women • Despite illegalities, contraception methods were used. • M.C. women desired smaller families.
Feminism Supporters • Mary Wollstonecraft • J.S. Mill • Harriet Taylor
Millicent Fawcett • Led the Union of Women Suffrage Societies in London.
Emmeline Pankhurst • Radical feminist • Used violence, arson, and other criminal activity (suffragettes).
Women Suffrage • The 1st country to allow women the right to vote was Norway in 1907. • Britain- after WWI, 30 and over allowed. • France did not allow women to vote until after WWII.