The‬‭ Victorian‬‭ era‬‭ spans‬‭ Queen‬‭ Victoria’s‬‭ 63-year‬‭ reign‬‭ over‬‭ Great‬‭ Britain‬‭ and‬‭ Ireland,‬‭ from‬‭ 1837‬ to‬‭ 1901.‬‭ During‬‭ this‬‭ time,‬‭ Britain‬‭ became‬‭ a‬‭ global‬‭ superpower,‬‭ expanding‬‭ its‬‭ empire‬‭ and‬ experiencing‬‭ rapid‬‭ progress‬‭ in‬‭ science,‬‭ industry‬‭ and‬‭ the‬‭ arts,‬‭ as‬‭ well‬‭ as‬‭ significant‬‭ political‬‭ and‬‭ social reforms that have shaped the modern world.‬

“During the Victorian period men and women’s roles became more sharply defined than at any time in history. In earlier centuries it had been usual for women to work alongside husbands and brothers in the family business. Living ‘over the shop’ made it easy for women to help out by serving customers or keeping accounts while also attending to their domestic duties.” - Kathryn Hughes, The British Library’s “Gender roles in the 19th century”

John  Ruskin,  an  English  writer  and  philosopher,  reveals  the  rigid  gender  roles  of  the  19th  century  Victorian  era were characterized  by  strict  stereotypes  that  disadvantaged  women.  This  period  was  defined  by  the  "separate  spheres"  ideology  that  relegated  men  to  the  public  sphere  of  work  and  economics,  consigning  women  to  domestic  roles,  reinforcing  male  dominance.  These  spheres  supported  by  Darwin’s  theory  of  "Survival  of  the  Fittest,"  placed  men  higher  on  the  evolutionary  ladder  and  impacted  all  societal  aspects,  including  employment,  where  only  a  third  of  women  worked  compared  to  two-thirds  by  1978.  For  the  upper-middle  class,  many  women  had  never  worked  outside  the  home.  Women  were  expected  to  live  up  to  the  image  of  ‘the  angel  in  the  house’,  to be the perfect wife and mother. 

The  early  feminist  movement  emerged  in  the  1850s,  advocating  for  equality  in  education,  work,  and  voting  rights  despite  these  limitations.  Figures  like  Queen  Victoria  opposed  these  efforts,  viewing  feminism  as  a  "wicked  folly"  offering  “God  created  men  and  women  differently—then  let  them  remain  each  in  their  own  position.”  Victorian-era  gender  stereotypes  persisted  well  into  the  20th century and continue to influence modern-day society.