Marriage was a pivotal moment in a Victorian woman's life. Women were often pitied because they only had the choice to say yes or no to a suitor (and sometimes, not even the choice to say no), rather than courting any man they liked, as a man might, in theory, court any woman. The character of a husband, how he meant to comport himself within the marriage, and the profession and family alliances that the wife would find herself involved in, were of vital interest. The status of a married woman was generally higher than that of an unmarried woman, and she might have more resources at her disposal; but she might also find herself at the mercy of a spendthrift or tyrannical husband, or unfriendly in-laws.

Darwin had four sisters (Marianne, Caroline, Susan, and Catherine) and numerous female friends and cousins, many of whom were diligent correspondents while he was on the Beagle voyage. His departure for South America coincided with an outbreak of weddings among his friends and relations, which was unsurprising given their ages, but must have left him wondering what, or who, would be left for him when he returned. The letters describing a series of weddings and their aftermaths are a wonderful source of information about mid-nineteenth-century courtship and marriage.

Shortly before he sailed, Darwin's friend Fanny Owen wrote in typically ebullient style about her sister Sarah's marriage to Edward Williams on 22 November 1831: