Out of all the articles on the list, I chose to read an article about women on trains. It was about one specific woman who was writing to the editor of the Times Magazine asking if there was anyway that there could be a specific section for mothers who had children. She traveled for many miles on several different occasions and asked a variety of people while on the train if she could go somewhere specific with her children for privacy. This was one of the responses; “At Bristol (Midland Station) I was laughed at for requesting such a thing as a ladies’ compartment; at Liverpool I was almost insulted for the same request; at Chester they were more polite, but would not promise to keep a compartment for ladies only; at Dublin it was useless to mention the subject, and so on at many other stations. ” This request was made out of genuine care of others in her same carriage. It not like she wanted a separate carriage because she felt like she deserved it more than others, because that’s the opposite of her reasoning. She just wanted it so she wasn’t an inconvenience to anyone else on the train which is proven in this statement; “Now, Sir, anyone who has travelled far with children knows the trouble and annoyance they cause to everyone in the carriage, especially to those in charge; and surely it would be the greatest boon to mothers and nurses to be sure of having a compartment to themselves, or, at least, with only other children and females as companions.” The article never mentioned if her request was accepted or denied, but because of my knowledge of the Victorian Age, I am assuming it was denied because of the lack of rights and empathy of not only women, but children too.
4 thoughts on “Victorian Age- Ladies on Trains”
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It’s shocking to think of the lack of empathy London (and I’m sure in many other places at the time) had for women with children. I’m glad the world has prospered!
Good thing it did!!
People can be so ignorant sometimes. Of course, the people who denied the request were probably the same people who complained about the children being too obnoxious on the train. It’s good to know that someone finally realized the separate compartment was not just to benefit the women.
I totally agree!