Domestic
Ideology supports the social arrangement that "
true" women are wives and mothers, thereby being the centering,
nurturing crux of the family.
Popular primarily during and after the industrial revolution, this lends to the idea that a woman's place was in the home. In this theory, a single woman ( a "spinster") was pitied because she was not a mother and wife. She might be viewed as not even being a woman in any respect.
Domestic Ideology also supported the idea that women were more spiritual and good than men, since a man went out into the world and was more tempted to stray from morals without an inspiring wife at their side to aid spiritually. Through this, a woman was considered a redemptive force in society- but only in the sense of reforming her husband- so that he could go and change the world for the good of mankind.
Women were often idealized as being the "angel of the house," and were expected to be self-sacrificing for their families. Divorce was considered shameful and the woman, in this case, would most likely be the social pariah. After a divorce the man would usually gain custody of the children and the wife gained nothing- all her rights and property were surrendered when vows were taken.