Friday, February 28, 2014

Marriage: 19th Century v. 21st Century

By: Tachina Hardy 

When marriage is thought of in the present day it is defined as two people who love one another whom eventually decide that they want to spend the rest of their lives together. In today’s society marriage is not the least expected but is usually a choice among the two individuals who are in love versus in the 19th century when marriage was expected amongst the community. [1]

During the 19th century most of the women were under coverture. Which is when everything the woman may have coming into the marriage no longer belongs to her but becomes that of the husbands; this woman is known as a feme covert. [2] The woman was expected to be dependent solely on the man, if they had riches before they became married those riches then became the husband’s property and if the woman was to work after they were married the wages that were made were automatically given to him.[3] If this was to be compared to the modern day marriage of men and women it would probably be absurd to even hear about. In the 21st century obtaining a job among men and women is expected for the both of them unless wealth is within one of the spouse’s families and even then one may still hold a job to obtain a residual income. However, today there is a document known as a prenuptial agreement, this document basically is signed by a couple before they become married so in case of divorce neither will have to relinquish money, property, or anything that they may have obtained before they were married.

The women during this time were also expected to procreate, to stay at home and take care of the children. Women did not have any choices during this time period. Not even when it came to conceiving because men were able to force their wives into sex and childbirth. He had the power to even take her children and send them away to be raised somewhere else[4]. In the 21st century this would not have happened forcefully because now there are laws that can grant joint custody so both parents still have parental rights; meaning both parents were eligible to co-parent instead of it being solely the mother or solely the father. Men during the 19th century were also able to cheat as they pleased and the wife was expected to tolerate the behavior even if they were to spend the wealth they obtained from marrying their significant other on prostitutes.[5] An example of this during the 19th century would be Susannah Palmers who ran away from her adulterous husband with her children and eventually began a happy with home with them. Her husband eventually found her and stripped her of all her possessions and she stabbed him and was immediately prosecuted. [6] Cases such as these occur in the 21st century but in most instances it would have been handled in such a way that the husband would have been prosecuted as well as the woman but the woman would have been said to be utilizing self-defense.

Marriage in the 19th century as you can see was not how anything is today. Women then basically lived under a matriarchy (men rule) and now men and women do not necessarily hold a stance of equality amongst each other within a marriage, because some still believe in the man being the bread winner and the woman being domesticated; but in most cases the man and the woman work to provide a decent home not only for them but their children. There were no choices among women during this time which forced them to have to marry. [7] Luckily now there have been acts and amendments put into place so that women may make a living without a man being present.



[1] Simkin, John. Spartacus Educational, "Marriage in the 19th Century." Last modified June 2013. Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmarriage.htm.
[2] Moore, Crystal. ""Sex in Colonial America"." lecture., University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2014. .
[3] Simkin, John. Spartacus Educational, "Marriage in the 19th Century." Last modified June 2013. Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wmarriage.htm.
[4] Wojtczak, Helena. Hastings Press, "Women's Status In Mid 19th-Century England." Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/overview.htm.
[5] Wojtczak, Helena. Hastings Press, "Women's Status In Mid 19th-Century England." Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/overview.htm.
[6] Wojtczak, Helena. Hastings Press, "Women's Status In Mid 19th-Century England." Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/overview.htm.
[7] Wojtczak, Helena. Hastings Press, "Women's Status In Mid 19th-Century England." Accessed February 28, 2014. http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/overview.htm

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