Ladies Are Seen And Not Heard

What really does this saying mean?
First of all whose voice is behind this quote?A man?, A woman?
And what was the intention behind the quote?

Well I could not find out the who said it so I would attempt to interpret it in my own understanding.

On one point, it screams sexism, male chauvinism, the voice of a prejudiced alpha male depicting the unfortunate gender stereotyping.Women should just shut up(not heard) and look pretty(be seen).
Personally, I believe that although no gender must be made to feel inferior to the other, there are natural social roles for male and female. Females are gifted with the power to nurture whereas men are better at mechanical tasks. Psychologically  males learn/develop differently from females.I also don’t believe in resigning yourself to faith.The fact that men are known to do better at maths doesn’t mean a woman’s qualitative skills are inferior . You can do well at anything you set your mind to.
Men and women complement each other.
Lets look at the quote from another angle, the angle I prefer to view it.

Paraphrasing, Ladies must be known by deeds and not by words.
You cannot (for lack of a better word)claim Ladyship onto yourself, you must earn it.
In the Victorian Era, the term lady was reserved for either the spouse of a lord or “gentleman” or for women who by virtue of belonging to a family of high social class got the title even though they really weren’t ladies( character wise).
The term lady evokes good standards of behaviour.
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, this social criticism is addressed.We are introduced to Jane’s character as a poor woman yet she has quite a complex character depicting very high moral  standards as opposed to other characters who are considered “ladies” in the novel.
In this sense, I can almost picture an older lady imploring younger women to behave properly.
The “modern liberated woman” may feel a sense of being repressed.But I don’t think it takes anything from you  to uphold good etiquette.I think it helps you put yourself in a light that earns you respect.

marianne x