What was the role of women in late 19th century Europe?

Question

Were young aristocratic women required (or heavily pressured) by society to marry, stay in the household, and raised children? Did rich women feel trapped? or did they have a lot more freedom? Any statistics? Helpful sites?

Answer 1

Women in the Victorian era at Wikipedia would be a good place to start

"The status of Women in the Victorian Era is often seen as an illustration of the striking discrepancy between England's national power and wealth and what many, then and now, consider its appalling social conditions. During the Era symbolized by the reign of British monarch Queen Victoria, difficulties escalated for women because of the vision of the "ideal women" shared by most in the society. The legal rights of married women were similar to those of children. They could not vote or sue or even own property. Also, they were seen as pure and clean. Because of this view, their bodies were seen as temples which should not be adorned with makeup nor should it be used for such pleasurable things as sex. The role of women was to have children and tend to the house. They could not hold a job unless it was that of a teacher or a domestic servant, nor were they allowed to have their own checking accounts or savings accounts. In the end, they were to be treated as saints, but saints that had no legal rights."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Victorian_Era

Answer 2

the completed predicted for the duration of 1450-1750 (the era while maximum witch trials happened) is around 40,000. of those, approximately 25% have been adult adult males. the rationalization why women individuals have been greater possibly to be accused than adult adult males is that girls individuals have been referred to as spiritually weaker than adult adult males, and consequently greater vulnerable to demonic effect. besides the undeniable fact that, the numbers in some places confirmed a majorioty of adult adult males being accused, as in Iceland as an occasion, the place ninety% of victims have been adult adult males. of those placed on trial, approximately 50% have been acquitted. It grow to be perplexing to acquire convictions in witchcraft trials simply by fact there grow to be many times a loss of definite data. Juries have been reluctant to usher in a in charge verdict, and whether they did, convictions have been many times overturned on allure.