The Status of Women in 19th Century Britain and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Subject: History and English
Grade Received: A (93%)
Disclaimer: This essay is provided for educational reference only. It is not intended for
submission as a student’s original work.
, The Shifting Role of Women in the 19th Century
“I felt as if I had been charged with theft myself” said feminist author Millicent Fawcett
upon her recollection of a court case where her purse, stolen by a thief, was described as “the
property of Henry Fawcett”, her husband (Finn 705). This was Britain at a time when married
women had to depend on their husbands for legal identity due to coverture, a doctrine that
limited married women’s economic and legal authority. In 19th century Britain, the ideology of
domesticity influenced the oppressive laws of coverture, which united married women to stand
up for their rights, ultimately fueling early feminist movements advocating for the Married
Women’s Property Act.
Social expectations were considered in the context of law, letting domestic ideology
influence the laws of coverture. Women’s economic rights were limited to align the legal rights
with the social ideology of separate spheres (Finn 704). The separate spheres were a social
system that divided the gender roles of society into two spheres, women on the private sphere of
domesticity and family, and men on the public sphere of influencing political and social ideas.
Women were to confine solely to matters of the household, without indulging in the public
sphere (Shanley). This illustrates the domestic expectation of women as reflected in laws that
govern them. The Married Women’s Property Act, an act meant to end coverture and grant
women legal independence, was first proposed in 1857 but was rejected due to fears of
disrupting marriages and households. A statement from Philip Muntz, an English politician in the
parliament, stated: “[Married Women’s Property Act] would certainly cause great difficulties in
all the domestic arrangements of life. It would cause antagonism between those who we were
taught to believe were on” (Griffin 62). This illustrates how societal expectations of women were
a hindrance in achieving their legal rights. Any attempt to expand their rights was rejected
Subject: History and English
Grade Received: A (93%)
Disclaimer: This essay is provided for educational reference only. It is not intended for
submission as a student’s original work.
, The Shifting Role of Women in the 19th Century
“I felt as if I had been charged with theft myself” said feminist author Millicent Fawcett
upon her recollection of a court case where her purse, stolen by a thief, was described as “the
property of Henry Fawcett”, her husband (Finn 705). This was Britain at a time when married
women had to depend on their husbands for legal identity due to coverture, a doctrine that
limited married women’s economic and legal authority. In 19th century Britain, the ideology of
domesticity influenced the oppressive laws of coverture, which united married women to stand
up for their rights, ultimately fueling early feminist movements advocating for the Married
Women’s Property Act.
Social expectations were considered in the context of law, letting domestic ideology
influence the laws of coverture. Women’s economic rights were limited to align the legal rights
with the social ideology of separate spheres (Finn 704). The separate spheres were a social
system that divided the gender roles of society into two spheres, women on the private sphere of
domesticity and family, and men on the public sphere of influencing political and social ideas.
Women were to confine solely to matters of the household, without indulging in the public
sphere (Shanley). This illustrates the domestic expectation of women as reflected in laws that
govern them. The Married Women’s Property Act, an act meant to end coverture and grant
women legal independence, was first proposed in 1857 but was rejected due to fears of
disrupting marriages and households. A statement from Philip Muntz, an English politician in the
parliament, stated: “[Married Women’s Property Act] would certainly cause great difficulties in
all the domestic arrangements of life. It would cause antagonism between those who we were
taught to believe were on” (Griffin 62). This illustrates how societal expectations of women were
a hindrance in achieving their legal rights. Any attempt to expand their rights was rejected
