Occupation

[sadiemc]

I have listed on the 1861 census a 17 year old unmarried girl. She is recorded as being head of household and with he ris a lodger and the lodger's child. However in the occupation title it states 'unfortunate'. Is this a referral to her situation by the enumerator or a genuine occupation?

[rosie99]

Could she have been pregnant 

[keyboard86]

Hi interesting, I entered No name/Female occ Unfortunate 1842/1844 and had 9 "Unfortunate" young ladies?!
Keyboard86

[stanmapstone]

Unfortunate is a euphemism for prostitute.

Interestingly, the term 'prostitute' does not appear in the occupational dictionaries used to abstract data in the Census Office.  However the feelings of enumerators do show. In the 1871 Census one enumerator described every prostitute as 'fallen' in the occupational column.  Another euphemism for prostitute, 'unfortunate', seems to have been struck out of the census returns, see the 1901 census RG13/322 folio 37, page 19. Limehouse, London."
from 'Making Sense of the Census' Edward Higgs.

Stan

[stanmapstone]

From the OED Unfortunate  2. A fallen woman; a prostitute.

Stan