"Wedding Photo" by Josef Novak is licensed under CC-BY-ND 4.0
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Trifles by Susan Glaspell yield the thesis of Victorian housewives being oppressed politically, economically and psychologically.
Women during this time were experiencing an awakening to the limits of their independence. Exploring the oppression and accomplishments of these women can be done in a variety of ways. When searching for information in databases, it's important to try a variety of search terms and be flexible.
While the term "Victorian women" may yield some results, the word Victorian may skew results more to British literature. Try switching "Victorian" for "nineteenth century", "1800's", "antebellum", "Reconstruction", or something similar.
Victorian women | Marriage | Patriarchy |
Gender roles | Divorce | Sexism |
Social repression | Wife | Feminism |
Suffrage | Social conditioning | Identity |
Some other search terms to consider...
Women / Woman Ladies / Lady Wife Daughter Mother Widow Female |
Men / Man Gentlemen / Gentleman Husband Father Son Patriarch |
Nineteenth century 19th century Nineteenth-century 1800’s /Eighteen hundreds Victorian Antebellum Reconstruction Gilded age Progressive era Industrial Revolution |
Marriage Married Matrimony Wedlock Common law Divorce Separation |
Coverture William Blackstone Separate spheres Feme covert Common law Legal existence Legal doctrine |
Financial / Finance Economic Inheritance Property Ownership Employment Independence Wealth Income |
Political/ Politics Suffrage Voting rights Disenfranchisement Citizenry |
Psychological Repression Independence Freedom Power Oppression Patronizing |
Employment Income Earnings Salary Wages Business Allowance Profession Job Prosperity |
Freedom Emancipation Autonomy Independence Authority Control Command Enfranchisement Power Self-determination Choice Free will Options Liberty Voice/Say/Vote Volition Rights Dignity Permissions Privileges Entitlements Legitimate Virtues |
Control Repression / Repress Rule Command Dominion / Domination Authority Power Jurisdiction Manage Supervision Protection Constrain Discipline Suppression / Suppress Subjugation Subjection Hegemony Reign Patriarchy |
By Francis Sutcliffe (1853-1941) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons - Whitby during Victorian times.
Access to many of the database links on this guide requires NSCC authentication - users must sign in with their NSCC My Northshore (formerly Pipeline) username & password