The Normality of Arranged Marriage in Regency Era Portrayed in Jane Austin’s Emma

Introduction

Today marriage is considered a promise made between two people that they will love each other forever; however, this was not always the case. Arranged marriages used to be considered a normal tradition throughout the Regency era and most of the early 19th century. To examine this tradition, I will be looking at Douglas McGrath’s interpretation of Jane Austin’s beloved book Emma. I was also be using published work as evidence to find why arranged marriages were so common. The goal of this paper is to explore how education, finance, and a male-dominated society created the normality of arranged marriages throughout the Regency Era.

Historical Context

Marriage was not the only thing that was drastically different during the Regency Era. To fully understand how arranged marriage was normal, we must understand how life was. During the Regency Era, men ran society. “Regency era as such comprised of landowners and lower gentry, where men had access to everything, and women confined themselves to domestic work only”. Women had nearly no choices in society other then what happened in their own houses. “The house and what goes on inside it is the woman’s concern while the estate and what goes on outside is the mans”. Women were not only deprived of basic rights but, “there was an assumption that men and women were different in natural capabilities”. Although a brief look at life during the Regency Era, it helps to visualize and understand what life was like for men and women and even understand why some choices are made.

Education

To understand why women in the Regency Era were at such a disadvantage we must look at the difference between Men and Women’s education. “Women were not allowed to attend the institutionalized rings on the educational ladder”. Women, for the most part, were uneducated during the Regency Era whereas many men were educated. “Since women did not usually have careers as such and were not “citizens” in the sense of being directly involved in politics, there was little generally-perceived need for such higher education for them”. This can be seen throughout Emma. Mr. Elton and Mr. Knightley are more educated than the women around them. Women often remained in the house so typically they were taught by their mothers. So, well men were taught politics and professions, women were taught domestic skills such as making clothes. “As for domestic training, in those days before sewing machines, a relatively large number of girls and women’s time was spent on sewing or needlework” This is evident throughout Emma, for example, we see Emma making clothes. Women in this era also considered things like the ability to draw and sing accomplishments. This can also be seen in Emma during the scene where Emma is playing piano and singing with Mr. Churchill. It is clear in this scene that once Mr. Churchill begins singing with the other women in the scene Emma is jealous. This is because women during this era see things like being good at sing accomplishments. It hurts Emma when she is clearly at not as good at singing and may have even influenced her thinking of Mr. Churchill. Women’s lesser education is directly related to how they relied on marriage for financial stability.

Finance

One of the biggest reasons why women were confined into arranged marriage was because women were not in control of money. If a woman was not to be married “she was destined to a life of grinding poverty and shameful spinsterhood” Women had to get married to have any chance at a suitable life. One big reason marriage was so important for financial stability is because for many families to survive and prosper they had to unite with other families. This is seen throughout Emma. One example that is easily seen in Ms. Bates. Ms. Bates is a clear example of what happens when a woman doesn’t marry. She is seen throughout the movie living in poor conditions and often relying on handouts to survive. “Because of these marriages, the united families would become stronger and have an even better chance of financial survival”. One thing that was very common during the Regency Era was only marrying within your class. What this means is people would only go to social gatherings with their class. This helps us see why arranged marriage was so common. To retain your social class, you would have to marry within your class drastically limiting the options for marriage. Men and women during this time were in completely different social circles. Men were often seen as providers where women were house workers. This was another big reason why women needed to marry. Women not only needed to marry for financials but also to keep their social class. If a woman did not marry, she would risk her social class. “A single woman would have to rely on the kindness of her family members. A married woman would not have to rely on the generosity of others as much” What this quote demonstrates is that if a woman did not get married, she would have to rely on her family and lose most of her social class. Finance is extremely important when looking at arranged marriages, but women may not have been at such a disadvantage when it comes to financing if society wasn’t male-dominated.

Male Dominance

As we’ve seen society during the Regency Era was completely male-controlled. Males controlled almost all aspects of society, so it makes sense that women had no control over who they married. In addition to what we looked at earlier men also controlled property, social status, and responsibility. Women during this period were not allowed to own property so any property would be passed down from father to son. This is a huge reason why women were forced into marriage. To guarantee a sustainable home woman would have to marry. “Most families worked hard to ensure their daughters married well to ensure that she would be cared for when the parents passed away” Families would arrange their daughters to marry to try and make sure that they would be taken care of when they are gone. Another thing that men completely controlled was social status. “For many women, the only way to experience life and improve their social status was through marriage” Since men controlled everything else in society it obvious that social status for a woman would be completely dependent on who she marries. Another reason that women would not be resistant to marriage was that they didn’t want to hurt their family’s status. “As a result of male-dependence, many women felt pressured into the idea of marriage because they were unwilling to remain a burden on their family. Women felt that they had to marriage because relying on their families their whole life was humiliating. “Without marriage, a woman was forced to remain in her parent’s house throughout her entire life, continuing her humiliating childlike dependence”. The very idea of being an unmarried woman in the Regency era was humiliating and this is because men created a society that made men worshipable. “women also desired marriage to avoid the stereotypes that came with the idea of being a single woman” Women in the Regency Era truly were oppressed during this time and Male Dominance was a major factor in their oppression.

Conclusion

In conclusion, arranged marriage during the Regency was considered a normal occurrence because of differences between men and women’s perceived notations. Men had every advantage in this society and used them to control and manipulate women. Education, Finance, and a Male-dominated society are all reasons why arranged marriage was perceived as normal and many if not all of these traits can be found in Jane Austin’s Emma.