The Sexuality of Women

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"I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled."
-- "Jack the Ripper"

The Cult of Domesticity in Victorian England repressed women not only financially, but sexually as well. In a society where a woman’s sexuality was not recognized as an acceptable part of her womanhood, women could not easily express themselves in that manner. Men also had to deny the existence of female sexuality, and this general stifling found an outlet in the Ripper murders. Men and women could read daily accounts of ghastly deeds committed against prostitutes (who shunned all "respectable" notions of sexuality) with great fervor, cloaked in the pretense that their fascination actually lay in the reporting of the crimes and the details of the case. The terror belied a genuine interest, which was the result of years of suppression and unnatural restraint.

Prostitution itself held a unique position in Victorian society. In late Victorian East End London, prostitution amounted to little more than a regular odd-job. Many women who were without the benefit of a financially supportive husband lived in workhouses (which could help place the women in domestic labor) or common lodging houses (also known as doss houses, many of them catered to prostitutes and were located in the worst parts of the East End). The culture of prostitution revolved around the pubs, where men would pick up the working ladies, and an unfortunate number of prostitutes were attempting to support themselves while nursing serious alchol addictions as well.

There is an interesting dichotomy to the nature of prostitution in London. While it can be seen as an empowering way for women to take control of both their financial matters and sexual relations, it was also considered (as it is similarly viewed today) to be a degrading and morally reprehensible way of life. Mary Ann Nicols, the first Ripper victim, separated from her husband months before her murder. When he found out she was a prostitute, he cut off her funds. In court, he won a case against her when it was proven that she was guilty of "common prostitution." This evidence shows the rejection of prostitution by society as a way for poor women to support themselves. One might be able to infer that classism is mixed into the definition "common prostitution," and forms of gentleman entertainment for the upper classes may well have been more easily tolerated.

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