Victorian notions about femininity in 19th century Britain

Essay from the year 2009 in the subject History of Europe - Modern Times, Absolutism, Industrialization, grade: A, , course: Diploma, language: English, abstract: Women were perceived as unequal to men throughout the 19th Century. Before 1850, women's rights were limited. A system existed which was entirely patriarchal (governed by men). Britain was run by common law; a law which dictated that once a woman married, she ended up with no rights to anything, for example, the house she lived in, the money she earned or the clothes she wore, because they all belonged to her husband. If she divorced, even her children were taken away from her.

Sylvia Coulson graduated from Northampton University in 2012 and achieved a 2:2 Bachelor of Arts Joint Honours Degree in History, Law and Philosophy. She obtained a Higher Education Diploma in Politics, History, English Literature and Education and studies Accountancy and Conveyancing, as well as supporting her local community at the Citizens Advice Bureau. Whilst at University, she became elected as a Student Representative and took part in Board Room Committee meetings where she helped to improve Student Services. Sylvia Coulson's passion for Social History stems from being born in Ghana in 1962, where her father taught Maths and English, until she returned to the East End of London. Her love of this topic area can be felt in many of her works, for example, within Human Rights, Terrorism, Organised Crime and in works centred around Poverty in 19th Century Britain.