In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” there are many different ways people treat others, and associate reputations with people. One certain factor is gender, like how Aunt Alexandra thinks Scout should be acting “like a lady.” The rights and roles of women in the South during the early twentieth century were often biased and based societal gender roles. Women were judged on and placed in certain positions in the South during this time. Now for the most part women were not involved in or part of government. Only men had positions in government. Voting and serving on juries, for example, was only for men. In the To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus explains to the kids that only men were on the jury by saying “ ‘I guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from …show more content…
Scout’s roles include minding her brother and going to school. Which she hates. But in the book chores were not really mentioned for Scout or other little girls except of course those who are apart of farming families like Walter Cunningham. As for what young girls wore they normally wore dresses like adult women. Scout although doesn’t wears britches. As said before that was frowned upon. Women’s family roles were also different than men’s too. Women in the South typically stayed at home and took care of the children. A woman’s purpose in life was to “become a wife and mother.” There is an absence of this in Scout and Jem’s lives since their own mother died. This all started to change for women during the war and Great Depression. With little income or men away, women stepped up to the plate and took many jobs especially the ones mentioned before. The Great Depression is mentioned many times and is said to really hurt families like Walter Cunningham’s.
The rights and roles of women in the South during the early twentieth century were biased and discriminatory. During this time many brave women fought for equality because of that reason.. We should thank them for that. In conclusion, women in the South were prejudiced upon by being expected to be a certain figure during the early twentieth century, but progress was also being made during this time to close the gap between gender inequality by many brave