How did life in Victorian America shape our views on gender?

In America in the Victorian Age, the idea of separate
spheres for women and men came to prominence.  This idea has stuck with us to some
extent to the present day.  It is the idea that a woman's place is in the home, caring
for the family while a man's place is out in the world of economics -- making
money.

Before the Victorian Age, both men and women tended
to work at home.  There was a sexual division of labor, but both sexes were working at
home in ways that were economically important.  (The women might tend vegetables and
collect eggs and churn butter while the men did the field work, for
example.)

During Victorian times, more men started to go
outside the home to work and women were left at home (not on a farm) with no work to do
that brought in money.  This helped lead to our idea that women should not be involved
in the world of making money and being out in public.