What is the status of British women in 18 and 19 centuries? Why are there so many older women left?

Why are there so many older women left in Britain in the 18 and 19 centuries? I'll give you a detailed article introduction below.

18 and 19 centuries, Britain developed rapidly and became a world power. At the same time, there are many problems in British society. At that time, people classified the phenomenon of unmarried older women into it and paid close attention to it. So why is this social phenomenon?

0 1. Gender imbalance

(Britain during the industrial revolution, the picture comes from the Internet)

/kloc-in the second half of the 0/8th century, the industrial revolution first took place in Britain, followed by earth-shaking social changes. With the rapid development of economy, the population of Britain is also growing steadily. Until19th century. In the whole19th century, there were more women than men in Britain. 185 1 British census data show that there are 500,000 more women than men. The imbalance between men and women is closely related to a large number of male immigrants overseas.

Since the industrial revolution, the pace of British foreign expansion has been accelerating, and a colonial empire has been established. Colonies became the main destination of British immigrants. At that time, Britain * * * thought that overseas immigration would help to open overseas markets and alleviate social contradictions brought about by rapid population growth, so it took a positive attitude towards overseas immigration. Young men account for the majority of the overseas immigrant population.

According to the General History of Britain edited by Qian Chengdan, 187 1- 1900, two-thirds of the immigrants from England and Wales were men. After the immigration of 65438+ in 1950s, the sex ratio of 25-29 years old in England dropped from 185 1 to 1000: 906 to 185 1. During this period, the proportion of unmarried women aged 45-49 in England was the highest, at 1/5. The serious imbalance of the sex ratio between men and women makes women encounter the embarrassing problem that no one can choose and have to remain single.

02. The influence of marriage view

Like most times, the marriage principles of the British in the 18 and 19 centuries also included "being suitable for each other", and the middle and upper classes tended to look for marriage partners in the same class. The upper class has an incomparable superior position to the middle class and has a wide range of choices. The middle class pays more attention to the spouse's property when choosing a spouse, and increasing family wealth is regarded as the marriage task of middle-class women.

(18th century British portrait, female gentle and quiet, the picture comes from the Internet)

Middle-class women's choice of spouse is very small, and the men they choose are also choosers. Relatively poor middle-class women are often unpopular. Middle-class women who can't find a marriage partner of the same class are unwilling to make do, and men of the lower class are usually out of their consideration, even if the marriage of the lower class doesn't care so much about property and status.

Getting older is becoming more and more difficult for women to get married, because people at that time were generally tired of the marriage where their wives were older than their husbands. This also leads to unmarried older women mainly concentrated in the middle class, many of whom are unmarried for life.

03. Married women have limited rights and interests.

In addition to the influence of male shortage and utilitarian marriage concept, the situation of married women also makes some women voluntarily remain single. In the 18 and 19 centuries, more and more women have achieved employment, and their working ability can not be ignored, but their wages are far less than those of men, and they have to bear the burden of their families while suffering from labor oppression.

At that time, British law did not recognize that married women had independent personality and identity. Once married, women lose the existence of the law and become attached to their husbands. Legally, all the labor income of a married woman belongs to her husband.

(/kloc-A portrait of an Englishman in the 0/9th century, in which a mother gave birth to a new child, with pictures from the Internet)

If you are unhappy, it is impossible to choose divorce. The British Parliament recognized the legality of divorce in the Matrimonial Proceedings Act promulgated in 1857, but the only premise of this law is adultery. If a woman wants a divorce, she must prove that her husband has committed adultery, and the nature is very bad. It is difficult for a woman to get a divorce smoothly. Moreover, the law stipulates that the child is the husband's, and only when the husband does not have children can women have custody. Some women are reluctant to enter marriage because of the difficulties they may face after marriage.

Two people are married, but there are many things involved. In the 18 and 19 centuries, the popular social concept in Britain regarded unmarried older women as a problematic group, but the existence of this group itself was closely related to the social concept.