Ladies in the 19th Century certainly were supposed to stay in their place. Poor Dr. Mary Walker was utterly reviled for her "Bloomer" costumes - and she was even arrested in Richmond, VA as well; with much being made fun of because of her costume.
Wonder what the Victorians would think of us ladies in our jeans and boots now?!
"The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley