And This Post Proves I Procrastinated

“It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot. Nobody knows how many rebellions besides political rebellions ferment in the masses of life which people earth. Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, to absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.” 

This passage by Charlotte Bronte reminds me of a certain mid-term essay topic, also a passage by Charlotte Bronte, regarding women's rights and society's expectations of women during the time she was writing. 
In this context, Jane is reflecting on her life as a tutor/nanny and describing how she wishes she could express her feelings like men can. She complains about the restraints put on women and society's view of how women are supposed to behave. She deems men to be narrow minded and talks about the unfairness women face. 
This passage is autobiographical of Bronte, because it was an issue she felt strongly about in real life. One instance where her opinion of women's equality to men was shown was in a letter in response to Robert Southey. Southey had written a letter as an evaluation of Bronte's poetry, but also criticized her, as a woman, for indulging in her writing and neglecting her duties as a woman. She responds to his letter and says how she wishes she could be seen as something more than just a housewife and that her writing would be respected. 
I really like this passage, and while women technically have the same rights as men today, the mindset of them being inferior is still sometimes seen and engrained in peoples minds.