Women, therefore, were at a great disadvantage. Women were financially dependent on others, and even young women who worked were expected to turn their pay envelopes over to their parents.
Women were expected to live with their parents or other relatives until they were ready to marry. Some young working class women did live in boarding houses, but women who lived outside families trod a fine line between asserting independence and guarding respectability in their everyday lives. Rare was the woman who supported herself. Once a woman reached a marriageable age, she was supposed to do her best to attract and marry a financially solvent man who would take her out of her parents' house and install her in a home of her own. Although poor women often worked in factories in order to help support their families, working was usually not considered an option for any woman who was a member of society. There were some women who were not married and could not depend on their friends or relatives for support. For women who had to either earn a living or drop out of what they considered proper society entirely, there were a few options. A few jobs could be taken without fear of ridicule from society. Marriage may have brought more economic freedom, but it did not bring an escape from drudgery. Once married, the woman was in charge of running the house. Rich women had servants, of course, but they were still responsible for making sure the house ran smoothly. The cooking, cleaning, and washing all had to be done by someone, and if the wife did not do it herself, she was at least responsible for overseeing the work. The woman's sphere was in the home as the "angel of the house": "It is true that the inner life of home is for woman, and that the wife should reverence and obey her husband. Once married, women no longer had the burden of hunting for financial support. Instead, they were burdened with domestic duties.