
"The Victorian and Edwardian parents used to tell their daughters and sons, not to bring shame to their family by their actions. By the 1950's this message had been translated in most working-class homes as one of 'doing right and wrong'. Sons and daughters would receive subtly different messages that reflected the prevailing sexual bias between male and female at the time. Sons could and were expected to 'sow their wild oats' prior to marriage whereas daughters should, under all circumstances, always retain that which their brothers were expected to lose. But, if a lad or lass ever did wrong, the golden rule was to do wrong away from home and 'never to mess on your own doorstep.'" William Forde: July 16th, 2014.