There were few options for working class during the Victorian period.   Generally, working class women went into domestic service or manual labor jobs.   Many women however, were forced into prostitution.   Regardless of the position working class, women were treated with no respect and worked under terrible conditions.   In many industrial jobs the women in the factories were being paid a third to a half less than the men holding the same positions.1  Many women in London also earned their living through street vending.   However, the most lucrative and one of the most common professions for women during this period was prostitution as they could earn more in a day then most women earned in week.   There were about 30,000 prostitutes in England during the 1850's and 1860's.   The popularity of prostitution grew due to the unbelievable disparity between the income of men and women.   In addition, London being a trade city allowed for an influx of tradesmen from all over Europe, which also increased the demand for prostitutes.2

Middle class women were often well educated but still in need of work; therefore, they often became governesses or teachers.   In addition, some women worked as merchants and nurses.   Most bourgeois women however stayed at home and played the role of the domestic homemaker, which was glorified during the Victorian period in London.  

Women in the upper class were often the most objectified and regardless of their education and intelligence, the most disregarded.   Their role in society was to be molded by men and to run their households and organize the servants.   While some were able to use their education to pursue more intellectual interests such as writing or art most assumed the role of the perfect lady clad in her petticoat and gown.  

1) Bonnie S. Anderson and Judithe P. Zinsser.   A history of their own (Harper &Row Publishers, New York,:1988) pg. # 259

2) ibid pg. 266