Gender role has always been prevalent in society. No matter what part of the world or culture a person looks at, there will always be a specific code in which these genders have to conform to. As expected in the Victorian Era’s strict codes of conduct, much emphasis was put on gender roles. In the Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde effectively uses gender role reversal to reveal the faults in the Victorian Era.
A first point of order that should be mentioned is that in the Victorian Era, social status meant everything. Aristocrats are expected to be earnest, to show sincere and intense conviction. That was the way of life. The social hierarchy was rigid and little importance was placed on trivial things such as personality, and more on social
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Lady Bracknell is the perfect example of such. Her authority and power extended over every character in the play, even that of her husband. When Gwendolen and Jack got engaged, Lady Bracknell, with a demeaning look, told her daughter, “Pardon me, you are not engaged to anyone. When you do become engaged to someone, I or your father, should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact” (Wilde 17). Despite the fact that social norms put the men before the women, Lady Bracknell refers to herself first before her husband, even grimly commenting on his poor health. Therefore, she gave herself more importance and authority than her husband. Such a gender role reversal show the flawed importance of class. Lady Bracknell did not come from wealth, she received all her power from her husband. Because she used to be in the lower class, she had no voice. But after marrying into the high class, she was now able to hold opinions on society, money, death, marriage, and even illness. It is ironic as essentially, she has no idea what she was talking about either. She even contradicts herself by saying “I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance” (Wilde 18) when she, herself is a prime example of one. She is not educated enough to hold these opinions and even made the remark of “I’m
During the Victorian period, upper and middle class men and women existed in different spheres of life: the private sphere, and the public sphere. The private sphere, which included taking care of the home, entertaining guests, and raising children was dominated by women. Meanwhile men were superior in the public sphere, where they took part in politics and business. This lead to the archetypes of women being fragile and motherly, controlled by their emotions, and of men being rational and strong. Social norms, supported by laws, viewed women as “relative creatures” that were below men in the natural hierarchy and only defined in reference to men. These two ideas towards women created a gap of equality for women and constricted them to their sphere of domesticity. The suffrage movement, followed by the first and second waves of feminism gave rise to many civil rights for women, narrowing the gap of inequality. The quest for equality continues today, as these two spheres begin to merge, due to the rise in social media and the subsequent decreasing private life, and women gain more influence in the public sphere. While the forms of inequality are different and an issue for both genders, the Victorian ideas are still present and prominent today.
In John Osborne 's 1956 piece, Look Back in Anger, housewife Alison Porter is faced with the difficult decision of remaining in a toxic marriage or returning to live with her parents. Indeed, Alison is the archetype of the 1950s British woman, as depicted in both academic and popular discourse—meek, miserable and resigned to her fate as mother and housewife. While such a paradigm of the 1950s woman has long remained unchallenged, historians have begun to suggest that this stereotype is inaccurate and misleading, and overlooks the complexity of female gender roles during Britain of this era. When reviewing the literature on this topic, what emerges as a clear point of tension between academics is whether the 1950s was a static or a dynamic
The Victorian Era in England followed a book of moral codes for different topics, subjects, subtopics, etc. The Victorian era was a religious era that strictly followed gender roles and sexuality. Gender roles included men superiority, female purity, and proper behavior. Sexuality was treated as heresy, with public display of affection frowned upon. Everything must follow the code of morals; these rules were supported by the Church.
The tragic narratives constructed by historians such as Cornelia Dayton in her article “Taking the Trade” and Amy Gilman Srebnick in “The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers” are crucial in analyzing the transformation of women’s reproductive health between the mid 18th century and the mid 19th century. Although Dayton and Srebnick’s narrations of abortions and death are based upon events that transpired nearly 100 years apart, a collective analysis of both sources creates a greater understanding of the societal perception of the woman’s role in colonial North America. Set in the context of a small New England village in the mid 18th century and the emerging metropolis of New York City mid 19th century New York City. One could argue a variety
Throughout history, gender roles have proven to be a persistent characteristic of societies, forcing predetermined structure upon the lives of both men and women. Even in the New World of America, gender roles followed close behind the ships of the first settlers, making an impact on the creation of the American colonies. By the late 18th century, New England’s gender roles had tightened on the coattails of both the Great Awakening, which promoted religious structure and hierarchy, and the further development of the American colonies into a more successful society. Although the opposite may be argued, including more women becoming educated and having a more important role at home, such as in will and testaments, these portraits clearly demonstrate that gender roles of the 18th century continued to be incredibly relevant and impactful. Through analysis of Dr. and Mrs. Hezekiah Beardsleys’ portraits it is apparent that gender roles were of major importance in the New England society implementing the predetermined molds of which society demanded, however, deviations from these roles were also present and significant in contradicting the usual structure of gender roles.
In Elizabethan times, gender roles were dominant in society. Women were regarded as the weaker sex and were taught from birth to cook, clean, and do similar tasks so they could marry and their husbands would be proud (Ram, Pham, Sok, Hamsafar, and Wilhemsen, “Gender Roles in Elizabethan Society.”). Women were expected to bear children and take great pride in being mothers (Ram, Pham, Sok, Hamsafar, and Wilhemsen, “Gender Roles in Elizabethan Society.”). They had few rights; they could not vote, choose a profession, receive an actual education, join the army or navy, or generally provide for themselves (Ram, Pham, Sok, Hamsafar, and Wilhemsen, “Gender Roles in Elizabethan Society.”). Men, on the other hand, were to provide for the women in their families, make all decisions, and have ownership of the family’s land and home (Ram, Pham, Sok, Hamsafar, and Wilhemsen, “Gender Roles in Elizabethan Society.”; Petit, “A Look at Male Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Renaissance.").. The men could vote and all actors on stage were men. In general, men had every advantage in that time period (Ram, Pham, Sok, Hamsafar, and Wilhemsen, “Gender Roles in Elizabethan Society.”; Petit, “A Look at Male Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Renaissance.").
A person’s name and position in society are significantly important for the upper class, due to the fact that if one were to marry into the family, a key member of the family would judge the person by their social class and the family name they carry to see if they are worthy to being a part of their lineage. In the play, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a person's social class is highly admired. The main characters are high in society and are falsely appearing to live up to great expectations. In Oscar Wilde’s play, the theme of the social class is extensively explored through the characters, although they are living double-lives.
In the nineteenth century women lived in an age of inequality because of their gender. Women had very limited choices when it came to their occupational choices, which is why most women stayed home to care for their children take care of the house, keep things clean, and in line and make sure that everything was ready before their husbands came home from their longs days of working.
In the 1800s in Britain there were gender roles issues between female and males. Today in Britain it has changed.
Throughout history, gender roles have proven to be a persistent characteristic of societies, forcing predetermined structure upon the lives of both men and women. For men in the 18th century, this included acting as an intellectual and authoritative figure, while providing a financial foundation for the household. Women, on the other hand, were not privy to the above mentioned duties; instead controlling the tasks at home such as raising a family and serving as a religious guide in the household (Tannenbaum, Lecture). By the late 18th century, events such as the Great Awakening, which promoted religious structure and hierarchy, and the further development of the American colonies into a more successful society, further impacting gender roles. These events would eventually lead to a strengthening of society’s
Women are becoming the “man of the house”. One may say this is due to technical advances that have allowed women to escape domestic chores and step into the male domain. However, this is a product of the movement beyond one’s egocentricity, leading selfless movements such as anti-slavery. Feminists fought for women’s rights during the end of the 19th century: gaining the rights to possess their own property independently of their husbands, to receive their own salaries, to act as adjudicators, to go into professions like law and medicine and to go into higher education. In 2014, 7.1% of men dropout of schooling as compared to 5.9% of females (NCES). Gender roles are becoming fluid as the “new man”, a man of the house who enacts in domestic
Nora Helmer in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll House" and Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" have interesting parallels depicted through their oppressive marriages. In 19th century gender roles society deems men to be superior although, Ibsen breaks this stereotype having Nora Helmer leave her husband, when she realizes, she deserves just treatment and freedom "doesn't it occur to you this is the first time we two, you and I, man and wife have ever talked seriously together? (Ibsen 104) Nora speaks against Torvald to be taken seriously and to be her own person, not someone Torvald wants her to be. Nora Helmer tastes freedom and loves it when she realizes she is a person and deserves to have autonomy she states, "I have another duty,
Over the past centuries, men and women are constantly reminded that having different appearances does not affect the way society should treat you. Everyone have the same respected role in society men or women. However, in the 19th century the gender roles were not up to these standards in fact it was considered the age of inequality and many philosophers would drag these norms out of the ground and challenge their views. Margaret Fuller would be Our Lady of Wisdom—and Wit, Equality, and Social Justice. “Answer the questions, —what were we born to do?
Gender roles were sharply defined in the 19th century. Women were expected to stay at home and carry out the domestic duties as well as taking care of the children and educate them and provide a peaceful home for their husband. Women were seen as loving and caring. On the other hand, men were expected to work and earn money for the family. They would fight wars and were seen as strong and powerful. Men had more freedom and rights, such as the right to vote, than women in the 19th century. Society had created two completely separate spheres. In the medical field, men were doctors. There were laws in many states, such as, that prohibited women from becoming doctors. Women, who decided to practice medicine in the 19th century had to struggle with much opposition because it went against prevailing ideas about women’s role in society. Women belonged in the private and domestic sphere. Men belonged to competitive and immoral public sphere of industry and commerce. The women in medicine would face accusations that they were abandoning their sphere and threatening society. Due to these arguments and the fear of economic competition from female practitioner, male medical schools and hospitals denied women access to institutions. However, Elizabeth Blackwell, changed this idea of separate spheres when she decided to take on the medical field and become a doctor. Although Elizabeth Black had a natural aversion to the medical field, her
From past tales of Victorian monsters to modern movies with sparkly teenagers, the vampire genre has always been used to address issues in sexuality since its creation. Vampires are metaphors for us to project our sexuality and desires onto; they don’t have to follow the rules of society or culture, and because of this they let us examine sexuality and social roles more in-depth than ever before. Earlier texts like Dracula address issues with gender roles in the 19th century, while more modern texts like Interview with the vampire aim to make us question the gender roles and marriage and family structure in western culture.