The Status of Women

1. The Status of Women Rochelle Abbate

2. What was going on at the time? The daily life of a woman in the late 1800s was centred around the running of the house. The role of women in society was seen to be to marry, have children and look after the family. In some cases, if women were unable to marry they would have to work, usually as a governess, to financially support themselves. The role of men and women in society was very distinct with men being the financial supporter and the woman being the family ‘caretaker’ The main event that occurred around the time that Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ was written are the Industrial Revolution and the invention of things such as the steam train and home appliances such as the sewing machine. Women were given their own ‘women’s league’ in many sports such as croquet and tennis The French Revolution

3. What was the effect or impact on society? • The Industrial Revolution had a major impact on society as it opened up many job opportunities for women as employers found them an easy target to ‘rip off’ or underpay • The invention and development of household appliances meant that running the house was a lot easier for women and took a lot less time and effort, giving them more time to involve themselves in social and political matters. This also meant that women became the main target for consumer products and advertising • Women were becoming more visible in society • More women were starting to take jobs and complete their education at university • The French Revolution caused serious discussion in England about women having the right to vote

4. What were the conflicting views at the time? • As more and more women began to work, the roles of men and women were starting to clash. Most men and some women did not agree with women working • Major companies and businesses that manufactured household appliances were beginning to value women as women began to spend money. • Women believed they should have the right to vote and so fought for it. Many people still believed that it was not a woman’s right to involve herself in politics • Some members of society held the view that women were not intellectually capable of understanding business or politics • Jobs such as nursing and teaching were beginning to be viewed as ‘female’

5. Historical Context Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ very accurately reflects the historical context of the time period in which it was written. Through Stoker’s characterisation of Mina and Lucy, he has explored the changing role of women in the late 1800s. Mina is portrayed as ‘nurturing’, as was expected of a woman, but also very smart which was often expected of a man. This merging of ideas of femininity and masculinity challenges many of the views held in society at that time. Mina learning how to type in order to help Jonathon would have also challenged the view that women were incapable of being as educated as a man and that they were not to help with finance or business. The fact that Mina possessed characteristics expected of both men and women conveys a sense of progression, that the status of women was progressively rising. Lucy, however, is seen as a more typical woman from the late 1800s. She is young and beautiful and her main goal is to marry. She does not share Mina’s intelligence and had no interest in furthering her education.