Women
Approximately 20% of the transportees were women, for whom conditions could be particularly harsh. For protection, most quickly attached themselves to male officers or convicts. Although they were routinely referred to as courtesans relatively few had been prostitutes in England; prostitution, like murder, was not a transportable offense.
Read more about this topic: Convictism In Australia
Famous quotes containing the word women:
“Well encounter opposition, wont we, if we give women the same education that we give to men, Socrates says to Galucon. For then wed have to let women ... exercise in the company of men. And we know how ridiculous that would seem. ... Convention and habit are womens enemies here, and reason their ally.”
—Martha Nussbaum (b. 1947)
“We say that slavery has vanished from European civilization, but this is not true. Slavery still exists, but now it applies only to women and its name is prostitution.”
—Victor Hugo (18021885)
“... any men who would give up the law-making power to women in order to remedy existing evils, would surely be those most ready to enact the needful laws themselves.”
—Catherine E. Beecher (18001878)