In the mid-nineteenth century, as middle-class women emerged into the public sphere of the professions, a new kind of role was invented which married the ideal values and attributes of middle-class femininity to paid employment. In part, this can be thought of as a feminist project, as the alleged moral superiority of these women justified their taking a more public role in society, including working outside the home, the legal right to own property, the vote, and so on.
