The Brontë sisters published under male pen names because that was what was necessary to sell books. It was not a question of whether publishers were willing (t

The Brontë sisters published under male pen names because that was what was necessary to sell books. It was not a question of whether publishers were willing (they were, but required the sisters to accept the financial risk) but whether the public was willing to buy. It was very very common for female writers to publish under a male pen name at this time because that was what it took to sell. And while that may be sexist, it is not institutional sexism (as is implied), but public perception of gender. Likewise, Darwin was boycotted by public perception of heresy. In my mind, if anyone was victimized at all (can you be victimized by someone not choosing to pay you for your ideas?), both the Brontës and Darwin were equally* 'victimized' by the same force: an ignorant public. I think it is largely irrelevant whether it was because of gender or because of the perception of heresy, especially for a show called "Horrible Histories". But pandering to modern feminism sells more. Arguably, the Brontës had it easier: they could publish as men and have the public be more open to their ideas. Darwin, in contrast, was being actively campaigned against* because of his ideas.