During the early years of colonization, British women played a very small role in the founding of colonies. In fact, women were rarely seen in many of
When women finally did make their way to the colonies, their
arrival was often met with hesitation and concern. Though the arrival of women helped to
establish and secure British the family culture, it also ushered in an era in
which men longed for the “good old days” of concubinage with native women.[5] No longer were the British men free to mingle
with indigenous women, as they had been accustomed. This change, however, ushered in a new day
for British colonizers. British women
brought to the colonies the established customs of European family values. In turn, women worked to spread such values
by networking with one another in their respective colonies. As one women stated, “An Indian household can
no more be governed peacefully, without dignity and prestige, than an Indian
empire.”[6] In short, women strongly embraced the idea
that to secure a British-style home within the colonies was the surest way to
secure the empire as a hole.
Life was not easy for the majority of British colonial
women. Leaving one’s home, though
exciting, was tremendously stressful as well.
To make matters more difficult, women that entered the colonial world
found themselves in more mundane activities than those of men. As one historian points out, “The colonial
world was definitely a man’s world, and women were not allowed to play a
meaningful role in it except as petty traders and farmers.”[7] To help secure the British family structure
within the colonies, women worked tirelessly and received little recognition
for their efforts. Within the walls of
their homes, women labored as homemakers, wives and mothers. They were responsible for almost all of the
behind the scenes activities that helped to maintain a typical British
family. Whether in the Caribbean, India or Africa ,
European women faced the every day struggles that were expected on a “proper”
British woman.
As difficult as life may have been as a colonist, it was not
without some benefits. Upon their
arrival, many British women were quickly taken as wives. Since the population of men in a colony was
usually twice that of women, many women who came to work in the colonies were
quickly married to a willing male. Their
marriage actually proved beneficial, since fewer jobs were available in the
colonies than back home. In fact, fewer
women worked outside the home in the colonies than in Britain Britain
As pleasant as life might have been for some colonial women,
it would be a gross overstatement to say that all women shared in the joy. The reality of colonial life for many women
was far from blissful. For some, the
hope for a family of their own was shattered by the horrors of reality. While trying to escape the struggles of life
back home, many women were forced to make their living in the various colonies
as prostitutes. The sex slave trade that
grew in the British colonies reached staggering levels. Some women were even forced to average four
customers a night, which provided tremendous revenue for the various brothels.[10] One can only imagine the struggles of such a
life. The difficulties that accompanied
this type of a lifestyle must have been appalling. In the male-dominated society that was the British Empire , women were often seen (and trafficked) as
expendable commodities. Clearly life as
a colonial woman was not as easy as hoped.
Whether working behind the scenes as a housewife or forced to endure the
vile conditions as a sex slave, the efforts of colonial women were often
forgotten, since women clearly took a back seat in such a society.
Family life was only one of the many ways in which British
colonial women were able to make an impact.
Along with the struggles that attend womanhood, was the pressure to
maintain and cultivate British culture.
The idea of what it meant to be British was deeply rooted into the
lifestyles of many of its citizens. Not
only did it carry the aura of superiority to others, but it also carried
masculine overtones. As Linda Colley put
it, “Quite simply, we usually decide who we are by reference to who and what we
are not.”[11] For British women, this meant protecting the
British family system from the “corruption” and influence of native
populations. It also meant that women
were taught to comply with the idea that a masculine British
Empire was the supreme goal.
One example of the emphasis placed on spreading British
culture was the establishment of Empire Day.
Celebrated on May 24 (the birthday of Queen Victoria
For women, this idea of British superiority was defended vigorously. As the empire continued to branch out, women
were quickly integrated into the expansion of British ideology. As teachers, British women were able to help
as educators in India Africa ,
British women were also used to help educate and establish British culture in
the area.[16] For the most part, women took these
responsibilities very serious, and were often sympathetic to the needs of the
native peoples. British women proved
vital in relocating British culture to the colonies. As Margaret Strobel states, “in the colonies,
as in Britain, women were particularly responsible for carrying out these
rituals…women’s work was to maintain the status of the family and preserve
social boundaries between Europeans and indigenous people”[17]
In essence, women were the gatekeepers of British cultural norms.
For all the good done by women in the colonies, there was
still a level of xenophobia that permeated British colonials. British women were quick to put their guard
up in defense of their families. Women
even regularly feared the use of native wet nurses for their children,
believing that, “the milk of a native woman should contaminate an English
child’s character.”[18] Women were also quick to point out the
“savagery” of indigenous men, who were seen essentially as, “would-be rapists
or seducers.”[19] As one African native put it, “The overall
European policy in Africa may be summed up in
these two words: white supremacy.”[20] British men were quick to point out the
iniquity that lurked if a “savage” was able to seduce a white woman. In such cases, British leaders (who were men)
failed to recognize any wrongdoing in relationships between European men and
native women. Clearly a double standard
had been created.
Along with the concern for the well being of their women,
British men were quick to point out how their culture treated its women with
much more respect. According to the
British intellectual James Mill, a society could be judged based on its
treatment of women. As Strobel points
out, “In Mill’s view, the status of women progresses from low to high,
associated with the evolution of ‘civilization.’”[21] Based on Mill’s estimation, the British felt
vindicated in their assessment that they were more “civilized.” The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua
Achebe provides a perfect example of this belief. The story’s main character, Okonkwo,
regularly beats his wives for mundane issues.
In one particular part, he even beats his wife Ojiugo for failing to
have dinner ready.[22] For the British, this would be ample evidence
of their superiority, even though it would be reasonable to assume that even
Britons were guilty of committing the same acts on their wives.
Another important aspect of British culture was its
religious convictions. For the British,
this was one of the major distinguishing factors that uniquely made them
British. As Linda Colley points out,
Britons were able to unite more on the issue of their Protestant faith than on
any other issue.[23] For British women, this belief was
passionately embraced, since women were traditionally the religious pulse of
the family. In their quest to follow
God’s will, British women became zealous missionaries in the colonies. Their yearning to convert and aid the various
native populations made them powerful tools to the empire. British women were active in establishing
villages for runaway slaves, in protesting the ritual burning of native widows,
and in seeking an end to the practice of clitoridectomy.[24] Female missionaries were also successful in
areas like India
The efforts made by female missionaries convinced many of
them that they were capable of branching out and helping even more people. Women like Dr. Annie Besant, who led the
Madras Theosophical Society, helped to inspire much of the nationalist movement
in India India
The desire that European women had to branch out and help
indigenous people of the various colonies was often met with ridicule,
accusation and scorn. In Africa for example, female missionaries regularly bumped
heads with their male superiors in the church.
The male-dominated British social structure had little time or patience
to deal with women’s issues effectively.
In one particular instance, the experience of Mary Pigot is very telling
of how conflicting male leaders could be with their female subordinates. While running an orphanage in Calcutta
The British Empire was a
vast and diverse world. For British
women, it was a world that offered little recognition for their efforts, and
even less praise for their contributions.
In the male-dominated culture that was Great Britain British Empire . Through their efforts, British women were
able to successfully protect and nurture their families, maintain and cultivate
the British culture, and spread the message of Christianity. Their assistance to the various indigenous
populations within the British colonies deserves as much praise as the male
missionaries enjoy. For British women,
it was their ability to overcome the chauvinistic atmosphere of male domination
that permeated the British Empire . In the end, this is their greatest
legacy.
[1] Lawrence
James, The Rise And Fall of the British Empire (New York: St. Martin’s
Griffin, 1994), 39-40.
[2] Ibid,
38.
[3] Margaret
Strobel, European Women and the Second British Empire
(Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1991), 3.
[4] Ibid, 2.
[5] Ibid, 4.
[6] Ibid,
17.
[7] A. Adu
Boahen, African Perspectives on Colonialism (Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins
University Press, 1987), 107.
[8] Margaret
Strobel, 19.
[9] Ibid,
19.
[10] Ibid,
28-29.
[11] Linda
Colley, “Britishness and Otherness: An Argument,” Journal of British Studies
(October, 1992): 309-329.
[13] Ibid,
329-330.
[15] Ibid,
71-72.
[16] A. Adu
Boahen, 104-106.
[17]
Margaret Strobel, 13.
[18] Ibid,
18.
[19] Zareer
Masani, 55.
[20]
Ndabanangi Sithole, Imperialism’s
Benefits by an Anti-Imperialist African, taken from the online packet.
Chapter 9, page 253.
[21]
Margaret Strobel, 49.
[23] Linda
Colley, 317.
[24]
Margaret Strobel, 50-51.
[26] Zareer
Masani, 78.
[27]
Margaret Strobel, 53-54.
[28] Ibid,
54.
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