Victorian Gender and Sexuality

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Victorian gender roles, sexual norms, and societal structures as discussed in the lecture.

Victorian Period

The era from 1837 to 1901 marked by Queen Victoria's reign and characterized by significant economic and social change, urbanization, and industrialization.

Victorian Femininity

A social construct in which women were defined by their reproductive roles and expected to uphold the ideals of modesty and motherhood.

Hydraulic Sexuality

The concept that male sexual arousal must have an outlet and that failure to control it could lead to moral decay.

Romantic Friendships

Close relationships between women in the Victorian era, which may or may not have included sexual activity.

Sexual Modesty

A defining feature of femininity in Victorian society, leading to minimal sexual education and knowledge about reproduction.

‘Angel in the House’

A Victorian ideal of womanhood that emphasized women's roles as devoted mothers and self-sacrificing wives.

Double Standard

The social rule that allowed men to engage in pre-marital or extra-marital sex while women were expected to remain chaste.

Victorian Masculinity

The social expectations of men during the Victorian era, emphasizing self-restraint and mastery over sexual desires.

Prostitution

The act of exchanging sexual services for money, which underwent significant stigmatization and regulation during the Victorian period.

Contagious Diseases Acts

Legislation in the 19th century aimed at controlling venereal diseases, involving compulsory examinations for women suspected of being sex workers.

‘Female Husbands’

Women who transitioned to male identities and roles, living publicly as men, often challenging the binary understanding of gender.

Chastity

The practice of refraining from sexual intercourse, which was valued in women to ensure paternity certainty in marriages.

Sexual Austerity

The cultural norm in Victorian society that promoted moral restraint and controlled sexual expression, particularly among women.

‘The Other’ Victorians

The concept that challenges the myth of Victorian sexual restraint by highlighting a diversity of sexual behaviors and realities.

Middle Class Values

The societal ideals upheld by the Victorian middle class, including respectability, family, and moral responsibility.

Angel in the House

A metaphor for the idealized Victorian woman, whose primary role was seen as nurturing and creating a loving home.