What was life like for women in 1700s England?
The most important thing to remember is the huge class divide….The upper classes had an easy life and in the most were subservient to their husbands and were in fact regarded as their husbands property however it was common for women to be educated, well travelled and hold political opinions… a lot became writers following on from Aphra Behn(the 1st professional woman writer in G.B). The lower class women saw the biggest upheaval with the beginnings of the factory system…so woman who worked on farms or in cottage industries at this time were moving en masse to the cities for well paid factory work. Gin in the 1700’s was a big thing for the lower class ladies and I’m sure youve heard of the effects of the Gin Dens in London which led to the prostitution etc.Lower class women were uneducated,yet notoriously sav vy, and everyone was religious(we think) also they would have enjoyed a good lynching but would have not been as politicized as their upper class sisters!!! Woman definatley
