Family life was idealised and the middle-class mother took centre-stage as 'the angel in the house', especially as men were increasingly working away from home. Married women were generally not expected to seek paid employment and their role was to keep a comfortable and orderly house for the family. It was common for women to have many children, and even with servants to help with their upbringing and the running of the house, there was little time or opportunity for women to engage in activities beyond the domestic. There was a new emphasis on family activities, such as games, music and reading aloud. Wide-ranging debates about religion and evolution popularised nature study. Creating collections of all kinds, scrap books for example, became a widespread hobby.