Wife Beating Epidemic in the Victorian Era

During the 1800's it was believed among the "ordinary" that it was within a man's right to beat his wife to "correct" her if she had done anything wrong or hadn't followed his instructions. It was only frowned upon if she was beaten severely to the point of being close to death. It was very common for there to be news reports on cases of domestic abuse, with the writers in pure shock of how many cases were coming forward. The worst thing about the situation was that even if the man got put away for the crime, the woman would still be suffering as they would usually be left on the streets. 

Hidden Hurt editors. (No Date ). Domestic Abuse Information, based in the UK. Available: http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk. Last accessed 12th April 2015.

A quote from the The Examiner (15th June 1872) "The habit of beating women was once as common as swearing or drinking in the high circles; it is now chiefly confined to the lower classes". This was because the upper class were taught to be protective of their wives while the working class would believe they had the right to be violent. This doesn't however mean there was no violence among the upper class, it was just more hidden. It's also important to consider that the abuse wasn't always violence, there was also cases of mental and financial abuse that wouldn't have been reported as it would usually go un seen. 

To try and stop the amount of abuse an Aggravated Assault Act was passed by the House of Commons in 1853. This increased the fine to a maximum of £20 for assault against women and children. They also increased the prison sentence to a maximum of 6 months. 

Reference:

Wojtczak, H. (2009). British Women's Emancipation since the Renaissance. Available: http://www.historyofwomen.org/wifebeating.html. Last accessed 12th April 2015.