Sex Workers, or “Fallen Women” Were Shamed For Trying to Earn a Living
During the 1800’s, single women had few options when it came to finding work. Life in workhouses was dirty and dangerous. And working in a factory would often mean hard labor with long excruciating hours. One of the “better” options was to become a sex worker. However, society looked down harshly on these women, calling them “fallen women”.
As in- they have lost their innocence and have fallen from the grace of God. Charles Dickens was fascinated with fallen women, and even invested in Urania Cottage, a place that was meant to help these women learn household skills. However, in order to gain access to Urania Cottage, these women were interviewed by Charles Dickens and forced to tell their whole life story as to why they turned to a life of crime. He would later go on to use the stories for characters in his books.
