Social Classes in Victorian London

By Jonathan Larson

There where typically three well defined social classes.  Lower, middle, and upper.


The members of the lower class consisted of the poorest people.  These people would have to preform difficult manual labor in order to survive.  They had very little education and had almost no opportunity for any form of entertainment.  

They work day of a lower class citizen was long hard and even dangerous.  Everyone had to work, not just the men.  After finishing for the day, living conditions were no better.  It was typically very overcrowded and full of disease. 


In the middle class of Victorian London, it was typically the men who provided the family income; while the women stayed home and did housework.  Very similar to the middle class we have today.

The jobs were typically professional jobs such as bankers, merchants, and engineers.


The upper class consisted of the richest of the rich.  They literally did not have to work.  Their wealth was usually inherited and came from land or investments.  Members of the Church and nobility were usually upper class.  


- Depending on what class one was in, there were specific rules of courtship, entertainment, and etiquette. Typically only the middle and upper class had any rules.  The lower class did not.

- Men were expected to behave like gentlemen and had rules for everything, even introductions!

- Women were expected to behave like a lady.  Being a lady included following social rules of appearance and behavior.  


      "The Working Classes and The Poor." The Working Classes and The Poor. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.