The Victorian Father and Child Father and Child Of all the characteristics attributed to defining Victorian male masculinity, the one least emphasized or spoken about was that of the Victorian man as a father. The questions of if and when to marry, the importance of the Victorian man's work and his moral qualities were topics of daily scrutinization. Yet little attention was directed to the role the Victorian man played as a father till the end of the period. Previously, child rearing was considered within the private realm away from public observation and interference. Fatherhood held an ambiguous position in the culture and practice of Victorian family life and thus the crux of the problem. 1 If the public and private spheres were defined by gender, then child-rearing fell under the domain of his wife; however, as domesticity revolved around the roles of both parents, parenting was defined as the Victorian man's commitment to his home and the family unit. With both of these views in existence, the actual role of the Victorian man in the Victorian family unit was unclear. The birth of a child was considered a "private" matter shared between husband and wife, yet the public impact mattered too. The childless businessman suffered a loss in masculine status. What was the purpose of continuing to be aggressive in his dealings of business if there was no one to whom he could pass it on to. There was also the prejudice towards the bearing of sons who would