A Doll's House Gender

Gender Inequality Gender roles in society have been altering the slightest over the course of generations. Many would disagree and say that women are now playing a much larger role in society, but in the big picture not much has changed. Modern society is still dominated by the male individuals. In the play “A Doll’s House” gender inequality is portrayed at a very large scale. The character Nora Helmer is a wife to a successful bank employee, and the Helmer family lives a comfortable lifestyle. Nora is a stay-at-home wife that spends time with the children, and treats herself using her husband’s money. The lifestyle that Nora Helmer obtains is one that is still common in modern society. It is extremely common among the upper middle class

The main conflict throughout the play is that Nora forged her husband, Torvalds signature for a loan. Torvalds has no idea about this, and he thinks they got money for the vacation from Nora’s father. Nora is treated like a child, and her husband does not giver her any responsibilities. Torvald holds the key to the mailbox, controls the money, and controls all major doings, in the family. The time period of the play takes place during the late 1800s. During this time period men and women were not considered socially or legally equal. Men made all of the executive decisions, and the women followed behind. Mrs. Linde even says “Well, my heavens a little needlework and such Nora, you’re just a child” (Ibsen, 1112). Mrs. Linde’s statement is just one example of many of how Nora is treated like a child with no responsibilities. Despite the growth in women’s rights, and roles in society, they still trail men in many categories. The most important decision-making position in the country is the president. The United States of America has had 44 presidents, and not one of them was a woman. Nora was telling Mrs. Linde about how she finds ways to make money and feel more responsible, she goes on and says “But still it was wonderful fun, sitting and working like that, earning money. It was almost like being a man” (Ibsen, 1114). This quote portrays how limited Nora’s responsibilities are, and how different the gender roles are in society. Even in modern society, men are looked at as superior in the workforce compared to women. Due to this lopsided scale, it creates much more responsibilities for the males versus the