The idea that Mrs. Bennet is actually the good parent, that she’s trying her best to give her girls bright futures, is one of the dumbest takes I’ve EVER heard about Pride & Prejudice.
If Mrs. Bennet wanted to “do something about the situation” she would’ve saved dowries or hired governesses. The Bennet‘s were wealthy and could’ve definitely afforded it. By choosing not to she made it so she put her daughters at a huge disadvantage. There were a lot less men due to deaths caused by the Napoleonic Wars so ladies had to fight over the few men available and without the advantage of dowries or any education the Bennet girls could only relay on their looks which probably fucked over Mary after the book.
And even IF you were to argue that she’s trying her best now, you would be wrong. Mrs. Bennet (and Mr. Bennet he sucks too) don’t seem to raise their daughters at all. It was up to Jane and Lizzy to try and steer Kitty and Lydia in the right direction, which didn’t work, because Mrs. Bennet undermined THEIR parenting of HER children. When Lydia married Wickham, a man around Darcy’s age who has a history of preying on teenage girls, she was PROUD of Lydia. She was proud of her teenage daughter who was groomed by a grown man and then ran away with him (not blaming Lydia by the way she deserves better parents).
The worst excuse I’ve heard though is that she was like that because of the extreme misogyny of the time. Yes the regency era was incredibly misogynistic, but that doesn’t excuse her behavior. Her sister in law, Mrs. Gardiner, lived in the same era and was no where near as immature and foolish as Mrs. Bennet. Her older daughters, Jane and Lizzy, are also way more mature then her.
So no, Mrs. Bennet, is not a good parent and she’s hardly “DoInG sOMeTHinG AbOUt ThE sITuAtioN.”
