Victorian Women's Rights & Status

'During the era symbolized by the reign of British monarch Queen Victoria women did not have suffrage rights, the right to sue, or the right to own property. At the same time, women participated in the paid workforce in increasing numbers following the industrial revolution. 
Feminist ideas spread among the educated female middle classes, discriminatory laws were repealed, and the woman's suffrage movement gained momentum in the last years of the Victorian Era. women In the Victorian Era women were seen, by the middle classes at least, as belonging to the domestic sphere, and this stereotype required them to provide their husbands with a clean home, food on the table and to raise their children.
Women’s rights were extremely limited in this era, losing ownership of their wages, all of their physical property, excluding land property, and all other cash they generated once married.When a Victorian man and woman married, the rights of the woman were legally given over to her spouse. Under the law the married couple became one entity where the husband would represent this entity, placing him in control of all property, earnings and money. In addition to losing money and material goods to their husbands, Victorian wives became property to their husbands, giving them rights to what their bodies produced; children, sex and domestic labour.' 

Wikipedia . (2nd April ). Women in the Victorian era . Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Victorian_era. Last accessed 7th Feb 2014.


I began researching Victorian womens rights within the era, having noticed from 'Great Expectations' Miss Havisham's character within the book and the time period it was set in Miss Havisham's situation was very unheard of a women owning her own property, land, money and the character a a whole appearing very well educated and strong willed. Not even the Queen Victoria showed to be a strong woman of her era often know after her husband died to only ever wear black i see this like she is tying herself to her husband forever although he is gone she still is his property the black gowns being a constant reminder of this. This is very similar to Miss Havisham always wearing her wedding gown being a constant reminder of her past but i feel this is in a more spiteful way to emphasis the fact she will take revenge to the man who did this to her. 
I find this has inspired me into the development of my characterisation of Miss Havisham although the character was left on her wedding day and seams depressed and grousum she has a very unusual position within her era she isn't controlled by a man and often as seen within the book she is doing the very opposite controlling men around her to hurt them. I feel Miss Havisham was a feminist within her own ideals of men, although she could have found another she decided to stay by herself developing herself and Estelle to break mens hearts and the character gains happiness from this. 
I feel understanding the history of women's rights within the era has given me a better perspective on the character, i would like to find a way to show this within my own characterisation of Miss Havisham.