Historical context for the Victorian Era (for Jane Eyre)

-One fifth of male adults were entitled to vote, proportionally this increased from 1867 to 1884, to one third, two thirds respectively
-No women could legally vote until 18 years after Victoria's death
-Only men who owned land could vote

-The first organised committee for women's suffrage was in 1866 and it would take 42 years for the movement to have real success
-By 1880's women were taking on more roles in the political sphere
-Women worked in textile factories, women couldn't own property, if women did work, their salary was owned by their husband
-More of an emphasis on the role of women because Victoria had 10 children

-Industrial revolution
-New markets
-Consumer boom
-Most prosperity for most propertied classes
-cities grew
-steam powered
-Railway used to transport many things
-Advances in technology to do with industrial machinery

-Children who's family's had farms got taught at home until age 10. Once a boy turned 10 he went to public schools like Eton or Harrow

-Few schools available for girls, girls from a wealthy family were educated at home

-Women weren't allowed to go to University

-Females usually learnt about arts, music and languages

-Most children needed for work

-People not able to move up in the class system, or st least this was very rare
-Class formalities were strict
-Extreme inequality between classes

-Poor housing conditions
-Income tax less than 3%
-Librarues, wash houses and swimming baths were all funded as part of a determination to provide working people with means to improve themselves
-Time of the industrial revolution-exacerbated the divide
-Education act in 1880-made everyone go to school