During the ancient times, most cultures viewed women and children as low-grade members of the societies and the women were homemakers. In Victorian England, husbands beating their wives were not uncommon since it was allowed in the community. Most people believed that “Wife Beating” was a behavior exhibited by the lower class individuals which were not true. Women experienced physical punishment across all social classes in our societies. According to Lee (2014), most women who were seen in hospitals waiting for treatments had bruises and their faces were bleeding as a result of domestic violence. Nine out of ten women had been violated by their drunken husbands.
During the Victorian times, most cases of domestic violence were due to the influence of alcohol. Many people support the idea that, violence on women is not confined to the lower class people in the society. Caroline Norton, a Victorian author in mid-nineteenth century England, husband physically abused by her and he was a Member of Parliament for Guildford. He was so violent towards her that sometimes it took the neighbors to stop him from beating her. Nolte (2015) stated that the religion, societal norms, as well as Victorian Laws, justified physical punishment on women and children. Most people during this period believe that men were the rulers of the world, and it was their duty to rule over their families. From the religious perspective, men found that women must be submissive and for any woman to be judged as virtuous, she must obey what her husband asks of her unconditionally. This view made the men believe that God gave then total authority over their wives (Nolte, 2015). The husbands felt it was their duty to ensure their wives were virtuous, even if it means beating them whenever they don’t follow orders.
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Domestic Principles were used in Victorian England to pave the way for male dominance. The husband was viewed as the “commander in chief” in the house and his duty was to maintain “Law and Order.” This authority permitted men to be violent to their wives in the name of restoring morals (Nolte, 2015). An example was when Carolyne Nolton disagreed with her husband’s opinions about a lady; her husband seized her by the nape of the neck, and dashed her down on the floor. Her husband believed he was restoring morals by using domestic principles.
Laws of Victorian England favor men and not women. For instance, men were given legal power to own their wife’s possessions. This included salaries, kids, and inheritance of any form. These laws made most women feel like they were enslaved to their husbands. According to Hamilton (2004), the conditions in which women in Victorian England were in were not different from the lives of slaves.
Victorian Laws were responsible for torture that women faced because the laws gave men the freedom to do whatever they want to do to their wives. The societal culture clearly stated that physical beating was one of the ways that a man can exercise his legal right to his wife and the property she owned (Nolte, 2015). In conclusion, physical punishment on women was not taken to be a violation of women’s rights the way it is in present times. During those days, women were expected to abide by the commandments of the men. Women were to be submissive, and they would be deemed virtuous. The religion and Victorian Laws appeared to be the biggest enemy of the woman since they allowed men to be supreme in their homes and that made them exercise their power without control. However, the nineteenth century saw laws being enforced to protect women and their possession including children.
References
Hamilton, S. (2004). Making History with Frances Power Cobbe: Victorian Feminism, Domestic Violence, and the Language of Imperialism. EBSCOHost, 43(3), 437-460.
Lee, J. (2014). Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight against Filth. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.
Nolte, J. (2015). Rap Sheet: The Women Who Claim to be Victims of Bill and Hilary Clinton . Retrieved from http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/12/31/rap-sheet-the-women-who-claim-to-be-victims-of-bill-and-hilary-clinton/.
