What's with the women?

It was basically marry a well to do man or become a maid or worse a prostitute during that time period for women. Their obsession with marriage was because they had limited choices for themselves.

saraleite-1 said: (excerpt)

"but while I was watching the film, the whole time I wanted to punch all of the women in the face."

So, you wanted to "punch all of the women in the face" for living up to the expectations of the society in which they lived? Expectations that prevented them from having any other options?

What is wrong with you? MY guess is that you want to commit violence upon any woman, regardless of what role she is fulfilling.

I wouldn't be surprised to see you on the "Working Girl" movie board, starting a thread about how you'd like to punch Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith.

Face it. You hate women. Full stop.

**Have an A1 day**

being without a man would have been like being unemployed. if you have no job, it is your focus to get one as quickly as you can. and the more money the man has, the less difficulties your family will face.

[deleted]

I understand that it was written in such a time when this was considered normal, but while I was watching the film, the whole time I wanted to punch all of the women in the face.

Even though they are in tight financial straights, I don't think either Marianne or Elenore were scheming to get married, Elenore because she had to much integrity and Marianne because she was too much in love with the idea of love. I have never been found of Marianne because she's too selfish, self-involved and narrow minded. Basically she's unable see anything from anyone else's point of view, but she's also supposed to be a very young woman and so most of that is forgivable, but I still don't like her.

did they think about absolutely nothing else in their whole existence?

I haven't read to the end of the comments, so I don't know if your question was addressed thoroughly. Married women and their unmarried daughters in this era were at the mercy of a their male relatives if the husband died. The Dashwood women were thrown on the reluctant charity of the half-brother, John, and his greedy wife for their support. Mrs.Dashwood is a second wife and Eleanor, Marianne, and Margaret are the issue of the second marriage. They were offered the cottage to live in by the Middletons, distant cousins. They live in very straitened circumstances.
Because they are women of their class, being dependent on the reluctant half-brother and his awful wife would be the fate of all four of the Dashwood females if at least one of the daughters does not make an advantageous marriage. Women of the higher classes could not work and remain in those classes; working for a living was frowned on.
The custom of entailment would have affected the Bennet women in "Pride and Prejudice" if Mr. Bennet had died and none of the daughters had made advantageous marriages. Mr.and Mrs. Bennet had no sons. The estate was entailed on Mr. Collins, the cousin of Mr. Bennet, who would have inherited Longbourne and could have put them out of the house or reluctantly supported them.
Everyone was involved in finding suitable husbands for eligible women. Women have come a long way since then, but what you are seeing is pretty true to the time.
A good book to read if anyone is interested (and hasn't already read it) about the customs of this time is "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew" by Daniel Pool. Every time I go to that book for a reference about something in one of the 19th century novels I read, I end up reading it cover to cover, the customs of those times are so fascinating, and he relates many of the customs to events in the novels.

I could be a morning person if morning happened at noon.

Thats because it really was their only goal in life to avoid starvation. England was a complete sht hole and women were fourth class citizens.Most of the country was rolling around in its own sht coz they were so poor.
They were only given slave labour jobs to get by which were torturous & didnt pay well. So the dream was always to marry someone affluent so they didn't have to work at all. .