The governess was one of the few professions that English middle-class women were allowed to practice in order to earn their own money. Governesses were almost always single women without any male family members, and it was their job to teach the children and contribute to their morally correct, religious upbringing. Young children first received basic knowledge in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Once they had mastered these, they learned history, drawing, piano, geography, and a foreign language (most often French). 

Governesses often lived under the same roof with the children under their care, but they not generally considered part of the family. On the other hand, they were ranked above other servants in the household hierarchy, which often led to tension between the governesses and those who owed them deference and respect. Many homeschooling mistresses, therefore, felt socially insecure and isolated. Nevertheless, it was not uncommon for men of the family to fall in love with the resident governess. For this reason, there were strict rules concerning relationships between female teachers and family, which governesses were obliged to follow. 

Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, less-wealthy families were increasingly able to afford a governess, because many women saw it as their only professional prospect. 

The so-called governess squalor then quickly led to the underpayment of homeschooling mistresses. This diminished the status of governesses further, making them even more socially ostracized. The problem became so great that in 1846, the Governesses’ Benevolent Institution was founded in order to support the women in financial desperation and, if necessary, provide them with accommodations later on in life.  

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the occupation of  governesses was slowly replaced by the professionally educated teacher and the general school system.