Women in the Marketplace

http://cityofshadows.stegenga.net/coventgardenflower_small.JPG

In Victorian England, women wishing to make their own living were met with quite a bit of resistance. Not only was it shocking to the general public that women might take up the responsibility of determining their financial future, but it was even more shocking that a woman might choose this way of life over that of a happy mother who remained at home under the yoke of domesticity. The phenomenon of the Type-Writer Girl was one of the first examples of women attempting white-collar labor, even though they clearly remained in a subordinate position.(1) It was a departure from the accepted, more feminine occupations, such as governess or teacher, which still kept women in the familiar role of guiding children (even though the position of secretary, the successor to the type-writer girl, is seen today as "traditionally" feminine).

On some levels, prostitution can be seen as a way for women to control their economic standing. In the East End of London, women worked for the most part alone, and when the need arrived. Some women would solicit trade every day, some wouldn’t. There appeared to be a great deal of freedom in prostitution, with the only obligation a woman had to honor being to pay her "doss" money (payment for a bed in a lodging house).

In reality, women in Victorian London who worked as prostitutes frequently treated it as another odd job, just like maid service for example. There really was nothing romantic or mysterious about it, and they also often had to endure the same bonds of domesticity to a degree when involved in a relationship. The main difference in the relationship between a prostitute and her husband or boyfriend had to do with class. Since it was difficult for poorer members of society to earn a living, it was sometimes more acceptable among themselves for the women to work out of pure necessity.

To the conservative public who consumed news regarding the Ripper case however, the occupational nature of the victims was a point of repugnance. Rather than being viewed as "poor lost souls" (a popular charity term for the wayward lower class), the victims who worked as prostitutes (Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Mary Jane Kelly) suffered the cruel notion that they "got what the deserved" (the public probably did not know that Catharine Eddowes did not really work as a prostitute but sometimes as a hop picker with the man she lived with; she may well have been subjected to the same generalization). While this public disdain for the prostitutes was also a result of society’s notions concerning the Sexuality of Women, the belief that women did not have the right to take hold of their labor and money matters colored the public’s view of the Ripper victims to a degree.

(1) Christopher Keep, "The Cultural Work of the Type-Writer Girl," http://iupress.indiana.edu/journals/victorian/vic40-3.html

Questions, Comments Problems? Don't Hesitate to contact us: webmaster@kirschnet.com