Jack the Ripper & the Victorian Underclass

Jack the Ripper is a name given to an unidentified serial killer who killed most of his victims in the areas of Whitechapel, which has been known as the slums of London. The victims were women earning income as prostitutes. London, especially the East End became increasingly overcrowded, and this resulted in the development of a massive economic underclass. This poverty drove women into prostitution. As stated in Wikipedia, in October 1888, the London Metropolitan Police estimated that there were 1,200 prostitutes "of very low class" resident in Whitechapel and about 62 brothels. The economic problems were accompanied by a steady rise in social tensions. "Different social classes can be (and were by the classes themselves) distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture" (The Victorian Web). Along with Britain's huge population increase came rapid urbanization which was stimulated by the Industrial Revolution. The large numbers of skilled and unskilled people looking for work kept wages down to barely subsistence level. Available housing was scarce and expensive, resulting in overcrowding. These problems were magnified in London, where the population grew at record rates. Large houses were turned into flats and tenements, and as landlords failed to maintain these dwellings, slum housing developed (wikipedia, victorian era).

Information found at:
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/Class.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era#Poverty