The Victorian women-David Copperfield Married women had rights similar to the rights of children.

The law regarded a married couple as one person. The husband was responsible for his wife and bound by law to protect her. She was supposed to obey him. The personal property the wife brought into the marriage was then owned by the husband, even in case of a divorce. The income of the wife belonged completely to her husband and the custody of childrenbelonged to the father as well. He was able to refuse any contact between the mother and her children. The wife was not able to conclude a contract on her own. She needed her husband's agreement. In addition, the married woman could not be punished for certain offences, such as theft or burglary if she acted under the command of her husband. It was impossible to charge the wife for concealing her husband and for stealing from her husband as they were one person in law. Women had no legal say in how many children they would have nor would they get custody of children if the marriage ended in divorce. However, claims that wives were legally "property" of their husbands are bluntly exaggerated. Murder of a wife by her husband was punishable by death just like murder of any other person, while destroying his own property was legal. Murder of somebody else's wife was also punishable by death, while destroying his property (i.e. breaking his windows) was much lesser crime. Beating somebody else's wife was a serious crime, much more serious than damaging a property. In case of disaster or other danger, women (including married women) were supposed to be saved before men, which is also inconsistent with their proposed "property" status. The body of the woman was seen as pure and clean except when she was experiencing menstruation. A woman was not encouraged to wear any kind of cosmetics or any other adornments, or wear clothing that showed her skin, or even stockings or any other undergarment. Some believe this was because a woman's body was considered to be the property of her husband. As a result, women were not to advertise their bodies to other men. However, men also were discouraged from wearing cosmetics, or clothing that showed skin or undergarmentsthis part of the Victorian morals affected both males and females. Other restrictions included discouragement of using the word "leg" in the presence of opposite gender, or obligatory usage of bathing machines. These restrictions also affected both genders equally. Prostitution in the Victorian era was usually seen as a woman "losing her way" in terms of her soul becoming unclean by violating one of the rules that has been enunciated so far. Preachers often argued that prostitution could happen to any woman who violated the wishes of her husband. The logic here was that men who found out that their wife had been unclean in some way would kick their wives out of the house. In fact, being unclean was considered a generally acceptable reason for a man to divorce his wife. Then the wife would end up on the streets selling herself. This view continued into the 19th century. However, in more or less the same way as masters would sleep with their slaves, whom they considered unequal, it was considered acceptable for a man to sleep with a prostitute, especially in the western United States. It was a vicious cycle. Women could not have sex with other men without being considered unclean. However, men didn't have this restriction. In fact, it was often considered natural that a man

might need the body of another woman. Because women had no rights, this behavior could not be punished through divorce. A woman cannot refuse forced sex by her husband and can be beaten by him if she refuses. Thus, women simply had to accept this behavior. As all the Victorian women, the women in David Copperfield share the same status. They have limited rights as merried women, the prostitution was seen as a woman losing her way, a womans body was considerate pure.
Equality in Marriage In the world of the novel, marriages succeed to the extent that husband and wife attain equality in their relationship. Dickens holds up the Strongs marriage as an example to show that marriages can only be happy if neither spouse is subjugated to the other. Indeed, neither of the Strongs views the other as inferior. Conversely, Dickens criticizes characters who attempt to invoke a sense of superiority over their spouses. Mr. Murdstones attempts to improve Davids mothers character, for example, only crush her spirit. Mr. Murdstone forces Clara into submission in the name of improving her, which leaves her meek and voiceless. In contrast, although Doctor Strong does attempt to improve Annies character, he does so not out of a desire to show his moral superiority but rather out of love and respect for Annie. Doctor Strong is gentle and soothing with his wife, rather than abrasive and imperious like Mr. Murdstone. Though Doctor Strongs marriage is based at least partially on an ideal of equality, he still assumes that his wife, as a woman, depends upon him and needs him for moral guidance. Dickens, we see, does not challenge his societys constrictive views about the roles of women. However, by depicting a marriage in which a man and wife share some balance of power, Dickens does point toward an age of empowered women. Mothers and Mother Figures Mothers and mother figures have an essential influence on the identity of the characters in David Copperfield. Almost invariably, good mother figures produce good children while bad mothers yield sinister offspring. This moral connection between mothers and children indicates Dickenss belief that mothers have an all-important role in shaping their childrens characters and destinies.

The success of mother figures in the novel hinges on their ability to care for their children without coddling them. Miss Betsey, the aunt who raises David, clearly adores him but does not dote on him. She encourages him to be strong in everything he does and to be fair at all times. She corrects him when she thinks he is making a mistake, as with his marriage to Dora, and her ability to see faults in him helps him to mature into a balanced adult. Although Miss Betsey raises David to deal with the difficulties of the world, she does not block those hardships. Instead, she forces David to confront them himself. In contrast, Uriahs mother, Mrs. Heep, dotes on her son and allows him to dominate her. As a result, Uriah develops a vain, inflated self-regard that breeds cruel behavior. On the whole, Dickenss treatment of mother-child relationships in the novel is intended to teach a lesson. He warns mothers to love their children only in moderation and to correct their faults while they can still be fixed.