Vivonne's Euro 4 and Euro3

That may help you ..... ( don't forget to read about Charlotte brontë's life too)

The occupation of governess had a special

appeal for middle-class women during the

Victorian era. At this time, a woman who was

not financially supported by a husband or other

male relative had few ways to earn a living.

While many women in the 1800s did work in

mills and factories, the unmarried daughters of

merchants, doctors, lawyers, and clergymen

sought more “suitable” employment that could

offer a moderately respectable lifestyle. A governess

lived with the upper-middle-class or

upper-class family who hired her to teach their

children. In addition to securing comfortable

lodgings, she earned a modest salary.

Being a governess, however, had considerable

drawbacks. Although a governess maintained

a ladylike appearance and was often

better educated than her employers, she was

not treated as an equal. At the same time, her

social status was above that of the servants,

who often ridiculed the governess’s claims

to gentility. Working long hours and being

expected to remain invisible during social gatherings,

governesses had little social contact

with adults, male or female. They had difficulty

receiving visits in their employers’ homes

and kept in touch with friends mainly through

correspondence. Thus the life of a governess

was extremely lonely. As Brontë herself commented,

“A private governess has no existence,

is not considered as a living and

rational being except as connected with the

wearisome duties she has to fulfill.”

The financial situation of a governess

was also precarious. The wages of first-time

governesses were not much higher than those

of a housekeeper or lady’s maid. While their

wages rose over time, governesses, unlike

servants, were expected to purchase their

own clothes and pay for their own travel. Thus,

they were often left with only pocket money

and had little extra to save.

In addition, the working life of a governess

was generally short. Families favored governesses

in their mid- to late-twenties. This

fact, coupled with the oversupply of women

seeking posts, made it harder for governesses

to find work after age thirty, and many faced

retirement by the age of forty. To stave off an

impoverished old age, a disproportionate number

of governesses ended up living in mental

asylums, the cheapest lodgings they could

find, or old-age homes designed specifically for

these working women.