Pregnant and single? Today's society may not be as harsh on you as it was before. If you thought single parenting was hard, let's look at how things could be worse.
A "fallen woman" was, put in simplest terms, one that had sex outside of marriage and didn't fit into domestic society. It is an archaic term that we no longer use - and for good reason. Whether it was rape, consensual sex, prostitution, or being sold for sex, it didn't matter if they were pregnant outside of marriage. What you have to understand is that women were seen as falling away from God if they were being referred to as fallen women. "Fallen men" is a term that has never existed because only women were held to sexual purity. Women, especially in Victorian era, were held to a maidenly status until marriage, then were held to a standard of being a home-body.
The status of women is important here. Way back before women were allowed into the workforce like they are today you could not feed your family yourself. Men worked and women were in the domestic sphere, otherwise known as the home. Women did not leave the home. If you got pregnant unmarried it was assumed you were doing wrong before that, so you probably aren't getting support from anyone if it is the 18-1900s. The only support you could get was a man "saving your honor" by marrying you, even if that man was the one whom you were sold to, raped you, or you simply hate the guy's guts. Women were trapped if they were unwed and pregnant. With this clarified, let's see what happened to these women.
Ireland - Magdalene Laundries
Catholics have been deemed the bad guys in this situation, but I am not saying all Catholics were guilty of mistreating others. I don't want to say that all Catholics are evil, nor am I going to say that the Catholic church has been perfect. If you are Catholic, I want it to be clear that I am only reporting recorded history. Protestant churches also supported some of these institutions, at first.
In Ireland, Magdalene laundries were run by convents and nuns, worked by women who volunteered themselves and women who were sent by their families. Some of them had nowhere else to go. Some had disabilities, as well, so you can imagine that the world had little promise for them around the years 1837- 1900s. Believe it or not, they ran until 1992. Some chose to stay.
They found a mass grave at the Donnybrook Laundry, a mass grave of women (According to History Channel, not a rumor). The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam was where 796 babies were found dead in a septic tank. It didn't start out this way. It was meant to rehabilitate the women who had "fallen" from society's approval. While I don't recommend getting pregnant single, and I don't think it was how it was supposed to work, what happened in Magdalene laundries was wrong. The raped women, having no choice in the matter, were especially wronged.
The fallen women were supposed to redeem themselves through work, including lacemaking, needlework, and laundry. It was reported that it was prison-like as time went on. Some were sent here to hide pregnancies from the eyes and ears of the neighbors. Some came voluntarily and learned "respectable" occupations. It started with good intentions. Inmates were routed into the institutions, along with women with disabilities, victims of rape, women deemed tempting and flirtatious, and pregnant teens. Irish government funneled money into it. Most Asylums can tell a similar tale.
Prison-like is defined as forced silence, beatings, forced hair cuts, overwork, and bad living conditions. They were stripped of their names, in some cases, as well. Women escaped, were brought back, or spent their lives here. It was reported that women were mistreated, some even starving. Pregnant women transferred to homes where they temporarily lived with their babies and worked in similar conditions. Babies were handed over to other families. Religion left this unchallenged and women were shamed for their abuse. 1996 was when the newspapers found the mass grave, after property was sold and searched, and shut the place down.
Victorian Britain
Victorian times wanted to control deviance. There was a penitentiary for reforming prostitutes in Britain. It was entered voluntarily, not for punishment of crimes, and the place was run by Anglican nuns. Anglican nuns embraced celibacy and rejected the marry-and-reproduce life that women were encouraged into. 1806 in London was the first one to open. Only women were to reform these ladies, it was determined, because only women could influence them for the better. Religious women were perfect because religion was deemed a requirement for reform. The nuns thought chastity and faith was the answer.
In this case, the church did well. They didn't dismiss these women as worthless, but instead did their best to destroy the division between virtuous women and prostitutes. They used the gospel to do so. The women were sometimes alcoholics that fought with knives and fists when slightly provoked. Women who had sex with no intention of marriage, mentally unstable women, abandoned women, thieves, rape and incest victims, and bigamists came here. They did not return women to their homes because one of the reasons for homelessness in women was incest. They did not deny anyone entry, in most cases, and the younger the woman the more she could be reformed. They only denied entry for lack of room. Generally, they stayed two years, but they went on a case-by-case basis. Alcoholics sometimes never left and no one was forced to leave. Servants with bad experiences were often found here. Upon leaving they were given a complete outfit, references, and help in finding a position.
Not all women were sincere in reform, I'll note, and used them for a place to rest until they decided to return to their profession. Some would sneak out, walk out despite the appeals of the sisters, and even steal. The place was not a prison. Not one was kept against their will.
They were taught and worked in a variety of ways, so that they wouldn't get tired of their work. At least one institution was giving spending money for sewing recreation. The women were taught manners, as well as cleanness. They often became servants, nurses, and teachers until marriage. The sisters taught them to act like sisters, both in discipline and recreation. They, unlike Ireland Magdalene Laundries, didn't abuse them. They loved the women like they were their children. Religion was not forced down their throats. The sisters did not see themselves as above the women. Former prostitutes could be allowed to be nuns. Ironically, both Anglican nuns and prostitutes were social deviants. After world war I the institutions became mother and baby homes, run with the same love until the 1960s.
The Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital is now a children's charity Coram. Women submitted forms to the governors of the hospital, told their stories, and were allowed to give their children to the Foundling Hospital. It was on the same site as the Foundling Museum is now. They had to convince those reading their stories of their repentance and that they could return to respectable society. Not all were accepted. The women took a chance of rejection. Most would be disgraced if they did not hide and conceal their pregnancy and their "fall". Eventually, petitions were used for entry, as the admission process changed.
In lots of cases, the family and friends of the "fallen" woman would reject her and leave her all alone. This caused thoughts of suicide and suicide in some. With no support, it was almost impossible to return to a respectable life with a child in your arms, a child that was born out of wedlock and proof of your "sin"(even if you did not willingly have sex). This hospital would take in the children, given they were accepted and the women could return to living an appropriate life and sex wasn't consensual, making it possible to not be shunned and not be abandoned by family and friends. Giving your child to a hospital was a way out and a way to regain a good reputation. The child was often the "proof" of a fallen woman, so to keep their child from suffering they gave them up. Children were, periodically, found abandoned for this same reason.
Closing Thoughts
Fallen women, as illustrated by the above institutions, had few places to go other than the streets. No support, in some cases, from family was a major problem. While I'm sure that some families didn't abandon their daughters, those with reputations and money probably did, at least until they could get rid of the proof of sexual deviance. Even then I am sure the women suffered emotionally in the home. I can't imagine the pain and trouble these women faced. While some did voluntarily come into this state, I'd say the majority did not. My sources are truly fascinating, so feel free to click them and explore further. The Irish laundries and convent experiences truly broke my heart.
Pictures:
Day Out Guide
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/magdalene-laundry-ireland-asylum-abuse
https://oro.open.ac.uk/82/1/NOT_WORSE_THAN_OTHER_GIRLS.pdf
https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/The-Fallen-Woman-exhibition-guide.pdf
https://journals.openedition.org/miranda/8130
http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/fallen2.html
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