(i) Women of the upper and middle classes in Britain, faced increasingly higher levels of isolation, although their lives were made easier by domestic maids who cooked, cleaned and cared for young children on low wages. (ii) Women who worked for wages had some control over their lives, particularly among the lower social classes. However, many social reformers felt that the family, as an institution had broken down, and needed to be saved or reconstructed by pushing these women back into the home. (iii) The city life was dominated by men and women who were forced to withdraw into their homes. (iv) Most of the conservatives were against the presence of women in the public places.