During the Victorian Era jobs such as being a maid were tireless, poor paying jobs. Today, maids make considerably more. During this time untrained maids who were known as “slavey”, along with maids-of-all-work, could be paid only 6 pounds a year. These women could be sexually abused by the mistress, the sons, or the man of the household and of course be blackmailed into this activity. When they got pregnant they would sometimes be kicked out of the household and forced to get a new job, which was hard to do if you were pregnant and still in a way is. Their is a reason today as to why people do not want to hire women who are pregnant: Maternity leave. It is too expensive, and is just a reality that people need to understand. Women are not being “oppressed” just because someone doesn’t want to pay them to not be there, it’s just a harsh reality.
https://www.bl.uk/victorian-britain/articles/the-victorian-middle-classes
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