Virginia Woolf was an English feminist writer, proof-reader and a publisher from England. Her writing “Professions for women” addresses the social and economic inequalities women faced in the Victorian Society. During that period in the history, Women’s were treated as servants to provide their husbands with clean homes, proper food and to give birth to children. Victorian women’s rights and freedom were restricted, and they had to live with hardships and disadvantages (Buckner, 2005). Their primary responsibility was to devote themselves for their husband, children and family. Throughout the Victorian era, women were restricted to any education, schools or colleges. Only few middle-class women were able to get success in some professions, but rest all suffered from gender injustice (Woolf 1931). In this essay, Woolf tells the truth about her own battle as a woman and analyzing the major obstacles, she had to overcome to achieve success.
However, Women’s don’t succeed in many professions during that time-period, but still many women’s like Fanny Burney, Aphra Behn and many others had made their names in the literature world (Woolf 101). According to Woolf, writing was a profession that doesn’t require any training and expensive material. A woman can stay in the boundaries of the house and put their own problems, ideas and thoughts on the paper even in the male-dominated society. An attempt to put their ideas on the paper won’t even disturb their family name and reputation. As she expressed in her letter “Writing was a harmless and reputable occupation. The family peace was not broken by the scratching of a pen. No demand was made upon the family purse” (Woolf 101).
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We know that women were not treated as good but still Woolf opens her essay by faithfully labeling that she is a woman “It is true that I am women; it is true I am employed” (Woolf 101). She is confessing that being a professional woman in that period was not an easy task for her. Before she accepts herself as a professional writer, she had to confront her demons throughout her journey. She admits that, if she were to continue her job writing reviews, she needed to “do battle with a certain phantom…and the phantom was a woman, and when I came to know her better I called her after the heroine of a famous poem, The Angel in the House” (Woolf 102). Isn’t it strange that author was so disconnected with this other woman? Woolf and the Angel had hardly a friendly relationship. The lack of connection between Woolf and the Angel is the product of the Angel's oppressive nature. Perhaps Woolf feels too different from the Angel as the Angel is not really a female. Woolf uses fantastic imagery to describe the Angel. Basically, this Angel is her thoughtful demon that pushes her back from being a writer. When a Victorian man and woman get married, the rights of the woman were legally given over to her spouse. Under the law the married couple became one entity represented by the husband, placing him in control of all her actions. His husband can decide what his wife can do or not (Buckner, 2005). This thought continuing in the Victorian society made her feel low, weak and suppresses her ideas.
Even Though Woolf was a strong and determined women but still that Angel had a strong negative influence on her mind. It was making her realize that she was a woman and she had no right to comment or give her reviews on men’s ideas. She must use the right words to praise the men’s poetry. “My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about the book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic, tender, flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiles of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own. Above all, be pure” (Woolf 102). Woolf felt so helpless and weak that she killed that phantom “The Angel in the House”. According to Woolf, to enjoy the literature in the real world, woman had to free their mind from all the restrictions and let their ideas fly in the society. After the phantom was killed, Woolf enjoyed his writing to all extents and dimensions. She was now free to speak the truth about humanity, morality and sex. Woolf agreed with this notion that to be a successful woman in any field, the first step is to kill your own demon that pushes you back from being successful. “Killing the Angel in the House was the part of the occupation of the woman writer” (Woolf 103).
Woolf used parallelism between the male and female rights throughout her essay. The second problem she encountered as a female was that men cannot handle some topics in the literature when discussed by women. “The consciousness of — what men will say of a woman who speaks the truth about her passions had aroused her from her artist’s state of unconsciousness” (Woolf 104). There were many questions aroused when woman talked about the sex, morality and some other issues. After marriage these women were deceived from their rights to think and possess knowledge. His husband was responsible for all her decisions. (Buckner, 2005). For so long, women have been isolated that men think a woman is just a wife, a cook, and a maid. The definition of women was totally changed, and it is meant that women were set with the specific goals in their lives. They can’t achieve anything outside from that boundaries. Despite of what women were meant to be in the society, Woolf had broken all the boundaries and introduce herself to the new world. As she described in the text that it is true that she is a woman, and it is true that she is employed. (Woolf 101). This line from the text brings up the new and updated definition of being a woman. Woolf wants all the women to get these restrictions off from their mindset and feel the writing or some other professional work in whatever way they want.
In Victorian era, women faced inequalities and prejudices in every occupation. Virginia describes women’s occupation with Irony. The author had the motive to kill the demons because of her anger toward the description of femininity in the 19th century (Buckner, 2005). All she wants the equal status for both men and women. She wants equality and freedom in every field and occupation. She wants women of all professions to consolidate and fight inequalities and prejudices and lead a happy and successful lives.
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