Fallen Women

Long before Dan Brown and his DaVinci Code, the legend of Mary Magdalene was a strong part of early Church doctrine. Despite the lack of any scriptural basis, the tradition of Mary Magdalene as a reformed prostitute who found salvation through repentance made her the natural patron saint for convents in which "problem" women could be redeemed. The notion of the inherent sinfulness of women and their need to atone for their inappropriate behaviour through acts of penitence had the full backing of the Church with cloistered "penitentiaries" throughout most of Europe dating back to the Middle Ages. To be fair, these convents could also be places of refuge for women who needed protection from unwanted marriages or sexual harassment. Unfortunately,the women who went there for shelter were often unable to leave afterward.

Beginning as early as the eighteenth century, there was public alarm in the United Kingdom over the joint problems of illegitimate children and prostitution which rose dramatically with the Industrial Revolution. Not only were brothels and street prostitution rampant, but women in "service" (usually as maids or cooks) often faced chronic sexual abuse and the unwanted pregnancies that went with it. Prominent social reformers including Henry Fielding propose the establishment of special "homes" for the reform of prostitutes and other "fallen women". Evangelist movements such as the Society for the Suppression of Vice (founded in 1802) pushed for the closing of brothels and stronger anti-prostitution legislation. As a result of this crusade, women were taken off the street and placed in asylums which, from the very beginning, were dubbed "Magdalene" homes after Mary Magdalene. By the end of the 19th century, Magdalene asylums could be found virtually everywhere (including in North America). In the United Kingdom alone, there were more than 300 asylums caring with an estimated 6,000 inmates annually by 1900.

While Magdalene asylums were meant to be an alternative to the prisons or poorhouses that sex trade workers often endured, there was little doubt that they were prisons in their own right. Placement in the asylums was supposedly voluntary but the fact that women were locked in and police would often bring back anyone who tried to escape showed otherwise. The inmates were typically retrained for "useful work", i.e., domestic service, despite the fact that domestic workers were often targets for the sort of abuse that led to their becoming "fallen" in the first place.

While in the asylums, women were subjected to various attempts at "redemption" including shaved heads, institutional smocks, supervised visits, flogging and poor diet. They were also put to work (typically in laundries) which provided money for the religious and social agencies that ran the asylums. In addition to the workload, the women were subjected to heavy religious indoctrination stressing the various sins to which they were susceptible. In countries where the Catholic Church was strongest, Magdalene asylums quickly came under church control.

Run by the orders such as the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland, the asylums became even more prison-like in nature with women being actively discouraged from leaving (and often staying for decades). Asylum life was harsh with women being expected to stay silent throughout the day and to address all of the sisters as "Mother", regardless of age. They also worked long hours in the laundry without compensation. Not only were the laundries the primary financial support of the asylums but "penitents" were often told that they needed to "scrub away their sins" through laundry work.

Although the original idea of the asylum was the reform of prostitutes, the admission criteria became even looser over time. Unwed mothers, girls suffering from mental illness or developmental disabilities, and even victims of abuse were often sent to the asylums by parish priests or other community leaders. Pregnant women usually had their babies put up for adoption in other countries without their consent. Without family support, women taken into the asylum system could be forced to stay for the rest of their lives.

The Magdalene asylum system in Ireland has probably been the most well-publicized in recent years although allegations of abuse were hardly unique to that country. The devastating Potato Famine in Ireland led to a tremendous upswing in the number of children placed in orphanages and a breakdown in social order. Magdalene asylums seemed ideal for placing girls who were considered sinful and, by the time the last Magdalene asylum was closed in 1996, an estimated 30,000 women and girls had been through the system.

The controversy over Magdalene asylums erupted in 1993 when an order of nuns in Dublin sold of part of their convent to real estate developers. The discovery of 133 bodies of former inmates who had been buried in unmarked graves sparked a major scandal. Although the true number of asylum inmates who had been quietly buried on asylum grounds may never be known, the revelations provided by former inmates who told their stories seemed shocking enough.

The former inmates described how they were sent to the nuns for being (or at least suspected of being) sexually active. Due to the power of the Church in Ireland, there was no possible appeal for their placement in the Good Shepherd Convent in Cork. Their names were changed (to provide a break with their past lives) and they were assigned to work in the laundry for long hours. Not only were they required to do laundry all day long, they were also expected to pray out loud for their sins. Inmates who were unclaimed by family members could never leave.

In 1998, a gripping documentary titled Sex in a Cold Climate first aired in the U.K. The expose on the Magdalene system generated a tremendous uproar (it was never shown in Ireland due to opposition from the Church). Another well-known film titled The Magdalene Sisters was released in 2002.Although many former inmates have refused to come forward due to the shame that is still associated with having been a Magdalene, hundreds of others have spoken out about their abuse.  Sadly, none them have received any form of compensation or even a formal apology.

As for Magdalene asylums in other countries (including the United Kingdom, Canada,and the United States), information about the number of women who went through the system and when they were finally closed is even scarcer. The legacy of abuse that surrounds the Magdalene asylum system will likely remain hidden until more women speak out.

Comments

[Julie paradox]

The *rest* of the UK? I'm not sure that's entirely appropriate...

[Romeo Vitelli]

Point taken (although Northern Ireland is still part of the UK). I'll correct it.

[kaytee]

can anyone offer any info. re convents for 'fallen women' in southern ireland pre Magdelenes 1800-1830?

[Anonymous]

Were conditions better in 1996 when let's say the 1950's and 60's?

[Romeo Vitelli]

Conditions in the asylums? I doubt it.