Historical context/ A03

Background

Published in 1847 and set around the same time, in Northen England.
Published by Charlotte Bronte under the Currer Bell psydenym, the same surname as her sisters Emily and Anne, who went by Ellis and Acton respectively.

Women did not have the right to vote, or equal rights to men in any capacity.
They were expected to stop working after marriage, meaning many did not have jobs or financial independence.
- Men gained control of women’s property, including any money, after marriage. This law was changed in 1870.
Women were educated differently to men, learning skills such as knitting and arts while men were taught maths and science.
- Women were meant to have ‘accomplishments’, which were skills such as art, singing and playing instruments.
When women and men were caught in any illicit acts, the woman was always blamed for tempting the man.
Reading was seen as dangerous for women, and some blamed reading on deaths during childbirth.
Hysteria was a legitmate diagonsis for women, and was believed to be caused by the movement of the womb.

The dominant religion was Protestantism.
Charity schools were often run to indoctrinate Christian values such as gender roles and morals.
Children and sex were only supposed to happen within marriage, and divorce was extremely rare.
Missionaries travelled to non-Christian countries to try convert them to Christianity.
In Jane Eyre, there are many types of Christianity shown, for example:
- Brocklehurst's - Puritanical Christianity which believes people should suffer to obtain heaven.
- Helens - Kinder Christianity which believes we should live with forgiveness and take everything that happens as God’s plan.

Children had no special rights until the late 1800s, and child labour was still legal.
School was not complusory until 1870.
Child abuse was legal, and corporal punishment in schools was common.
Richer children had governesses, who taught girl’s accomplishments.
Children were often sent away to schools at young ages.

Domestic abuse was completely legal, as long as the rod was no bigger than a thumb.
Coverture was a legal doctreine in which a woman was considered her husband’s property, and was abolished around the 1880s when women were allowed to own property in their own right.
Women were expected to marry earlier than men, and it was seen as their life’s purpose.
They were expected to have and care for as many children as possible, while men were expected to earn money.
From 1857 women were allowed to use cruelty and desertion as causes for divorce, however the leading cause remained adultery.
Eldest sons were referred to by their surname, and inherited most money and the family property.
Daughters moved in with their husbands upon marriage, and always took their surname.

In 1851, there were around 25,000 governesses according to the census.
Usually from middle class families and had attended traditional schooling.
Seen as one of the only respectable professions for women.
No official certification for being a governess.
Often paid extremely little, in some cases offered only boarding and lodging.
Certain accomplishments increased salary and prospective clients, such as music, French and art.
A lot of the time they shared rooms with the children.
They were advised to not make friends with servants, as they were socially inferior, or to impose themselves on the family, as they were their employers.
Many women saw them as threats to their husbands.