Gender Roles In The Ladies Law

"You're such a girl!" is something we hear quite often. But we don't exactly analyze its importance. Every man or women act and behave differently, and that is because of gender roles, "instructions for how to behave and appear as a woman or man (Wade and Ferree 2015; 61). We all "do gender", the ways in which we actively obey and break the gender rules of our society." (Wade and Ferree 2015; 61). We don't always obey these rules and regulation, we're all humans, and we all make mistakes, but it's other peoples reaction what's most interesting about breaking them. Once we break these rules, there is something known as gender policing, "responses to the violations of gender rules aimed at promoting conformity. (Wade and Ferree 2015; 71).

By using characterization in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how people try to drive others to follow their gender role and makes us wonder, why do people want this? In an argument with Aunt Alexandra Scout says, “I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could not do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.” (108). We can clearly understand that Aunt Alexandra is trying to make Scout stop wearing overalls and instead wear girl clothes, in doing so, she is restricting Scout from doing the activities she enjoys like playing and running. Not only does Aunt Alexandra want Scout to stop wearing overalls which are for boys but also wants to make Scout a lady, she wants her to learn a woman's role, which helps prove my claim. In my theses I mention that people try to change others and in this case Aunt Alexandra is trying to change Scout into someone she is not, as can be seen this is not the only time people try to change the way Scout behaves. During Christmas at Finch's Landing Uncle Jack is correcting Scouts behavior, “Scout, you will get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you? (105). The reason for Scout getting in trouble is a result of her unladylike language, her uncle warns her that she is not to use that sort of language. As the book advances Scout becomes develops into a girl who is learning new skills and expressions every day, but because some aren’t appropriate for her, a woman, she is prohibited from doing so, or she will face ramifications. If Scout doesn’t want to face the consequences, she will behave and act like a lady, which is the last thing she wants to do, she will become one of several who had to adjust their lives in order to be a member of the society they live in.

The adults in the story expect the children to grow into the gender role that their sex has assigned to them. This is seen in several places throughout the story, such as when the narrator hears her mother

Scout was particularly affected by gender discrimination as she was a girl. She was told she acted too much like a boy when she should be acting like a girl. Scout described Aunt Alexandra as “Fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pant” (108). Aunt Alexandra discriminated Scout for not wearing lady like attire and told her that if she continued to dress that way then she could not be a lady. Aunt Alexandra soon became determined to put an end to Scout’s non-feminine behavior. Atticus tried to explain to Scout that "She asked me to tell you must try to behave like the little lady and gentleman that you are. She wants to talk to you about the family and what it's meant to Maycomb County through the years, so you'll have some idea of who you are, so you might be moved to behave accordingly"(178). Atticus decided to take his sister’s word and told his children what they should act like despite him not approving of this. Scout’s behavior is what leads her Aunt Alexandra to discriminating her and telling her she will never be a lady if she continues to not dress

What does it mean to be a woman or man? Whether we a man or a woman, in today’s society it is not determined just by our sex organs. Our gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do you act, talk, and behave like a woman or man? Are you feminine or masculine, both, or neither? These are questions that help us get to the core of our gender and gender identity. Gender identity is how we feel about and express our gender and gender roles: clothing, behavior, and personal appearance. It is a feeling that we have as early as age two or three. In the article, “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender,” the author, Aaron Devor, is trying to persuade his readers that gender shapes how we behave because of the expectation from us and relate to one another. He does this by using an educational approach, describing gender stereotypes, and making cultural references. He gets readers to reflect on how “Children’s developing concepts of themselves as individuals are necessarily bound up …to understand the expectations of the society which they are a part of” (389). Growing up, from being a child to an adult is where most of us try to find ourselves. We tend to struggle during this transition period, people around us tell us what to be and not to be, Jamaica Kincaidt in her short story, “Girl” tells just that, the setting is presented as a set of life instructions to a girl by her mother to live properly. The mother soberly

As Sociological Images notes, dissimilar to men, why should gathered reject all things womanlike, women are urged to adjust manly and female attributes. NPR's article Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences appears to offer believability to this

In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, sexism is a prevalent issue that has yet to be tackled. In Chapter 4, Scout relates a comment made by her brother, Jem, saying, “I was not so sure, but Jem told me that I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with” (Lee, 54). This instance is one of many in which women are being degraded by fellow males. Due to the constant and never-ending harassment by Jem, Scout is convinced that “acting like a girl” is unfavorable, seldom wearing dresses or practicing ladylike qualities. This issue of sexism is still very much present in today’s society, because, based upon an article published by the National Partnership for Women & Families, “In Kentucky, median annual pay for a woman who holds a full-time, year-round job is $33,704 while median annual pay for a man who holds a full-time, year-round job is $42,203. This means that women in Kentucky are paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to an annual wage gap of $8,499” (“Kentucky Women and the Wage Gap”). With this difference in pay rates between men and women, Kentucky women lose a combined total of around five billion

During the times of slavery, Sykes and Delia would have to work for whites, and for him, nothing has changed. Furthermore, in an attempt to regain some control and boost his damaged ego, Sykes acts out by harassing and cheating on his wife. Likewise, in “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Scout does everything she can to avoid being called a “girl”. On page 119 Lee writes, “I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that 's why other people hated them so, and if I started behaving like one I could just go off and find some to play with.” Being a girl for Scout is less of a matter of what she’s born with and more a matter of what she does. To avoid undertaking society 's expectations of girls, Scout acts out and does ‘boyish’ things. In all these works, a main character is seen undergoing oppression from society or peers and because of this, the character retaliates by attempting to empower himself or herself: Dave buys a gun, Sykes abuses Delia, and Scout acts like a boy.

Throughout the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee challenges the societal norms of gender roles, within the character “Jean Louise,” also referred to as her tomboy name “Scout.” Scout battles the society-defined roles in many ways throughout the text. Many factors lead to Scout redefining femininity, including Jem and Dill’s coming-of-age dilemma. An exploration of gender roles and inequality throughout the text and this time period will allow one to understand how Scout was able to overcome gender stereotyping.

Gender roles are another cause of social divisions and inequality the Harper Lee teaches about. Scout defies gender roles and she is looked down upon by many of the women in her community for doing so. Scout’s Aunt Alexandra is one woman who looks down upon scout for this. “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants,” (108). Aunt Alexandra believes ladies are not permitted to be taking place in activities that require pants. She disapproves of how Scout likes to participate in activities she sees as unladylike. This shows the inequality in this society due to gender roles. Another woman who challenges Scouts appearance as a lady is her neighbor Miss Stephanie. When Aunt Alexandra has a

To begin, sexism is widespread throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book tells the story of Scout throughout a part of her childhood in Maycomb. A lot happened in this time; meeting new friends, a trial, and her aunt moving in. Scout is one main target of sexism in the book. She is either seen as too girly or not girly enough. One example of this is, “Scout, I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home-I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl everyday” (Lee 58). This demonstrates sexism because Jem uses the term “more like a girl everyday” to offend Scout. He believes that in order for her to be able to do everything that they are doing, she has to abandon her femininity and become more like a man. This is because women are perceived to not be as physically and emotionally tough to do the things men do. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is clear that Scout

Throughout history young girls and women were limited on what they could and couldn’t do. Society had put more pressure on them than men and they had to act a certain way in public and in their homes. Females were the underprivileged gender and were greatly affected by the gender roles occurring in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and were taught at a young age these rules and expectations. Gender roles had limited women in the past from being more than a perfect wife and homemaker, fitting the generation's beauty expectations, unable to dress freely due to the school dress code, to use proper etiquette to please everyone but themselves, and to work the same job as a man and get paid a lower wage.

The white, upper class ladies of Maycomb, such as Miss Dubois and Aunt Alexandra were considered to be healthy and wealthy. During the 1930’s, the ideal girl was an image of pure femininity. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there were many gender role issues that were demonstrated with the narrator, Scout such as her training that was focused mainly on language, appropriate dresses, and elegant hats. Scout was an independent woman who was ridiculed by the Southern belles of society, which was a symbolic element in the novel to show Scout’s promise a failure to act like a proper southern lady. According to Dominguez, “A proper young lady learned to dance properly in white gloves and wore a long dress and was part of the many socialite clubs in society” (1). The female role in the novel was to uphold their professional appearance and keep up with the status quo. The expectations of little girls were to be refined in their speech and portray soft-spoken

Though not all societies use the binary system we do, each constructs genders and gender roles (RWL 415). Some of those roles overlap in different cultures, and others couldn’t be further apart. Kincaid’s culture frowned upon being viewed as a slut, overlapping with mine. Mostly growing up in the South, being “ladylike” is as much part of Southern culture as food. However, many of the social expectations she was being lectured on were so unfamiliar to me that I had to Google them. Though I can relate to Southern culture, I’m originally from Florida, which isn’t normally seen as truly Southern. I moved to Alabama around the time in school when Sittenfield also describes the beginnings of a distinction between boys and girls (LU 4).

Harper Lee demonstrates the gender inequity In to Kill a Mockingbird through the description and words of the female narrator, Scout. The prejudice of Maycomb is shown so clearly, even an innocent child like Scout can see the raging extent of gender prejudice that surrounds her. Scout having traits that are more masculine in quality automatically makes her an outcast and disliked by Maycomb's many conforming ideals. Scouts innocence allows the novel to develop through an unbiased perspective. Women had little to serve in juries and there was the constant expectation all women had to act and dress like a Lady. Aunt Alexandra an evident example of having strong beliefs on how separate genders should behave, constantly scolding Scout for wearing her overalls and behaving too tomboyish." I was not so sure, but Jem told me i was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, thats why other people hated them so, and if i started behaving like one i could just go off and find some to play with. (4.119) Scout is raised to believe boys were better than girls, raised in a bigoted and heavily bias community, scout finds it a difficult and unfair experience trying to understand the unjust perceptions of the adults around her. Having Scout narrate the whole novel allows Harper lee to highlight the gender inequity in Maycomb.