When I started reading today's assignment, I was a little bit unnerved with what it was saying about woman back in the 1800s. "In 1847, when Bronte's novel was published, married women were not allowed to hold property in their own names; once married, both personal and real property (land) came into the possession of their husbands (289)." I mean, I guess I kind of knew that they didn't have that many rights, but I never knew that it was this serious. For example, on page 289, it tells of a woman who was accused of cheating on her husband and not only did she lose her good reputation, but she lost her name, her money, and everything else that ever belonged to her. "In 1827 Caroline married George Chapple Norton, a young barrister of limited income and a violent temper. Her husband first exploited his wife's friendship with Lord Melbourne to obtain a minor governmental appointment, then accused Lord Melbourne of adultery with his wife and brought a lawsuit against him. Although acquitted, Caroline Norton's reputation was tarnished, and she lived apart from her husband, who nonetheless continued to claim his legal right to her earnings as an author (289-290)."
I was also surprised with the way they handled marriages and divorces between the different socioeconomic classes. It's not like it is today, where everyone, in most cases, has the same chances of getting divorced. However, back in the 1800s "the poorer classes have no form of divorce amongst them (297)." Instead, "the rich man makes a new marriage, having divorced his wife in the House of Lords: his new marriage is legal; his children are legitimate; his bride occupies, in all respects, the same social position as if he had ever previously been wedded. The poor man makes a new marriage, not having divorced his wife in the House of Lords; his new marriage is null; his children are bastards; and he himself hi liable to be put on his trial for bigamy [...] (298)." This passage kind of made me really step back and think about how times have changed so much. It also made me wonder why the government thought that having the law this way was a good idea.
As a person who wrote almost exactly the same thing as you, I can honestly say that I agree. Women's rights have come a long way since the 1800's. The way women were treated in these times shows how great our society is today.
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