Sex, the Family and the New Woman

Abstract

The large family in the nineteenth century was both a potent myth and an economic necessity. It was a potent myth, in that it conveniently embodies many essential features of conventional Christianity: it was an economic necessity, in that it maintained social stability in a period of rapid economic change and provided a large enough work force for England’s industrial success at home and commercial expansion abroad. But there was a wide gap between the myth of the united, happy, Christian family and the actual reality. At what cost was this happiness bought? What lay behind the decorous façade?