A Woman’s Place

Education for the women of the Victorian era was intended solely for the purpose of reinforcing their role as a wife and mother. While the Education Act of 1870 made elementary education for both sexes compulsory, it did little to help women develop intellectually. They were taught the basics or arithmetic, reading and writing, but the main emphasis of their education was placed on the “wifely” responsibilities of cooking, sewing and knitting. The idea that a woman should be able to