gouvernantes

Gouvernantes are women who were employed within a private household to educate and supervise the upbringing of children, with a focus on instruction rather than daily caregiving alone. The position is distinct from a nanny or a domestic servant, as the governess’s primary task is teaching, often alongside the transmission of manners and social customs. In many households she occupied a social space between family members and staff.

Historically, gouvernantes were common in France and across Europe from the 17th through the early 20th century, especially in noble, gentry, and rising middle-class homes. They were typically educated women who could not rely on a husband or dowry for their livelihoods. Living in the family home, they reported to the mother or the master of the house and sometimes faced limited social status despite their professional role.

Duties commonly included reading, writing, arithmetic, languages (such as French, English, or German), music, drawing, geography, and history. They also supervised the children’s daily routines, prepared them for social functions, and sometimes oversaw younger servants or managed aspects of the household related to education and discipline. Moral and religious instruction could be part of their remit, as could etiquette and comportment.

The institution of the governess declined with the spread of compulsory education and formal teacher training in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which reduced private proprietary tutoring as a social norm. In literature and film, the figure often embodies themes of education, gender roles, and class within domestic life.