What were supposed to be the home duties of married women in the 19th century?
It would vary greatly depending on her social standing. A working class married woman might have to work outside the home as well as caring for her family etc. She might have to do all her own cookign and cleaning and washing, though if she had daughters they would help out as soon as they were old enough. many working class married women worked at home, the took in washing or sewing,which could be done while keeping an eye on the children at the same time. If the married woman was a farmer’s wife, she would probably be expected to get up very early (so would her husband), and might be doing things like taking care of the poultry and the dairy, as well as ordinary domestic chores. Again, she would expect her daughters to help her, and might have a maid. Everyone who could afford it kept servants, so the higher up the social scale a married woman was the less work she would have to do. Even a family on quite a modest income would have a maid of all work (known as ‘the girl’), and as you
