Tess Of The D Urbervilles Essay

“Remember, my lady, I was your master once! I will be your master again. If you are any man’s wife you are mine!” (Hardy 344). Thomas Hardy’s quote from Tess of the d’Urbervilles is spot on when it comes to showing how women are treated as if they are inferior to men. This ideology was the norm in the Victorian Era and still is in some areas today. Women in this scenario are extremely limited on how they may live their lives. Women were not in charge of their own lives; they were either controlled by a man or by the law (which was also controlled by men). Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy portrays how women were treated unfairly at the time, which can still be seen today in marriage, law, and the workplace. Throughout history, and even today in some cultures, there is a major disadvantage for women going into a marriage. When a marriage occurred, not only did the woman’s belongings become the property of her husband, but so did she. “Upon marriage, a woman surrendered all assets over to her husband…no legal claim to her belongings” (Moss 356). In a way, this made her a slave to her husband’s will. She was to do whatever was asked of her, and could be treated however the husband saw fit. To the Victorian …show more content…
At work, lower payment isn’t the only obstacle women face. “The most common type of violence practiced in the workplace is sexual harassment (Abdel-hameid and AbdelRhman). Women are the main target of sexual harassment. While it does happen to men, women are much more likely to be targeted. Sexual harassment can come in many forms. Some forms of sexual harassment can be used as blackmail against the victim, and can lead to the employer firing the victim if she does not do what he wants (Abdel-hameid and AbdelRhman). This would mean that a woman would not only suffer from being a victim of sexual harassment, but could also lose her source of income if her harasser is not