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Gender Stereotypes In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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For decades, women have always been viewed as nothing more than just a housewife. Their main goal in life was to get married and have children. From a young age, they were taught how to cook, clean and properly take care of their children and husband. They were looked down upon if they were not married nor had children by a certain age. The common thought was there was something wrong with them if women were not married by the time limit. Women were never thought of becoming lawyers or doctors because of the restrictions of the functions they had to do, based on their gender. They were just considered property belonging to their spouse. In Kate Chopin’s works such as The Awakening, she contradicted the roles and stereotypes of women and …show more content…

They had to stay home and look after the children and do the domestic chores while their husband went to work. In Judy Brady’s, “I Want A Wife,” she illustrates what women would do on a daily basis: “ I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, and replaced when need be. ...” Women were held responsible for doing everything for her husband and children. They never once thought of themselves, their lives revolved around their husband and kids. In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, she demonstrates how being restricted to one role because of their gender can, therefore, have major consequences just like how it did to Edna. Women were viewed as nothing more than a maid, when in reality they did so much and were not appreciated. They had to cook, clean, look after the children and much more when they could have been doing bigger and better things. Those who decided to not do what was required of them had to face major consequences such as their children being taken away or being shunned by their community. Women today are finding cures for diseases or running their own businesses, instead of being the one at home yet, they do not get the same praise men do. There are still some people that view women as nothing more than just a housewife, there are still some men that believe women are their property. Women are continuously facing judgment and criticism for not being what men want them …show more content…

Nevertheless, it has not prevented women from reaching their full potential. According to the article, “Men really ARE from Mars: Gender stereotypes still strong today despite rise of feminism,” written by Stephen Beech there has not been a “significantly change from 1983 to 2014.” Moreover, there are still people that expect women to do everything for their husbands such as the duties described in Brady’s essay. Women can achieve more than just pleasing their spouse, but no one unquestionably recognizes what can be achieved. Despite the fact that it has been years since women were obliged to be stay at home moms and our society is more accepting, women are still looked down at if they are not. Women have overcome many stereotypes and continue to do so, but there will always be more. These stereotypes have not stopped women from accomplishing want they want to do, it has given them a reason to reach their goal, so they can prove to people that they are more than what men believe they are. Women facing criticism push them to strive for greater success and continue to break more stereotypes. Above all people’s thoughts on what a woman should do has to change. Otherwise, stereotypes will continue to control people’s mindset if nothing is

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Women during Edna’s time were supposed to be dedicated to their husbands and children, however, Edna yearned for her own independence, and as a result of wanting her own independence Edna knew that she was seen as a terrible person. For instance Edna wanted to “…try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don't know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can't convince myself that I am. I must think about it" (27.4).

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Women were expected to obey their husbands and fulfill their marital tasks, which included childbearing and household management. Their primary responsibilities included home management, child-rearing kids, and emotional support for their

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The stereotypical view of women is that they should have multiple children, clean, cook, and be obedient. Women had no authority or independence, women who were married couldn’t own property, or work unless given permission from their

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Men have given the media this unrealistic image that women cannot fend for themselves, cannot do hard jobs, or cannot get as far in life as a man. Even in jobs, though a woman and a man may be in the same position, women “earn just 74 cents for every $1 a man earns” (CNNMoney). This is truly unfair, yet men today still say that women are “equal,” though it is obviously false. Women today, though they have more rights than in the 1800’s, are still not in the place we need to be in ranking with men. Women are still abused, sexually harassed and mistreated more than men because of their sex.

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The women were expected to create a happy home, guard the religion, and the morality of her family. The unmarried and married women who tried to seek work outside the home faced limited employment opportunities because of their gender. Women were expected to only focus on domestic duties and her role were limited to continue living in the man’s world. Women roles were expected to be in line with the culture and norms set by the society. The American culture perceived that women were not intellectually and emotionally stable to be involved in the complex world of work and, therefore, women did not take up leadership and political roles.

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Throughout history, there has always been a rivalry between the two sexes and in the end the women have always come in second place. Time over time it has been proven difficult for women to hold any type of power that they have wanted except for the tasks that they have been given due to their gender. In society and in their own homes, it has been difficult for women to grow and sustain their power beyond the limits that they have been given. Women have been differentiated from men and have been discriminated with regard to jobs and other types of privileges that they have wanted. Throughout the course of history, they have been denied many freedoms that every man has and they want to be equal to their counterparts.

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Introduction For a long period in the United States, the ideal woman was one who stayed at home to take care of her children and keep her home clean, while her husband went out to work. This has been the set role of women for centuries because they are historically considered inferior to men. Traditionally, women were considered weak and incapable of performing any work requiring a physical effort or intellectual capacity.

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She wrote a short story The Awakening, which took place in New Orleans and told the struggle of Edna, a housewife and a mother, whether she should follow her heart or respect the tradition. She made the choice of rebelling the past and she started to seek for herself. It was an extreme role, once she realized what she is then she abandoned everything she had in the past; and she wanted to be set free from her family role and motherhood. “The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! Well!

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That has not changed from all this time. People still treat women as nothing more than a child maker, watcher, and

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Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” is set in the late 1800s – a time when women were considered inferior to men. Women had traditional roles as wives and mothers. In this 19th century patriarchal society, Chopin shows us Louise Mallard, the main character, who does not comply with the female gender norms of the Victorian period. When Louise learns about the death of her husband, her reaction and the reaction of her sister and the doctor tell us a great deal about gender stereotyping during this time. Louise Mallard is described to us as “firm” and “fair.

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Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was written at the end of the nineteenth century, where many roles for women began to change; therefore, the it appears to have been a turning point for females (“The Role of the Wife and Mother”). These changes in female roles were mostly due to the actions of women themselves, motivated by their desires to break away from the limits imposed on their gender The nineteenth century was a critical point in time for women, in regards to their roles in society (“The Role of the Wife and Mother”). In The Awakening, Edna goes through noteworthy changes in the course of the novel, which reconstructs her into a woman who goes against societal ideals regarding motherhood and marriage . In the 1890s, motherhood was viewed

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Leeanna Whittle Ms. Hutto English 3-1st 26 February 2016 Gender Stereotypes as far back as the 19th Century Kate Chopin is an American author who lived in the 19th century (Wyatt). Kate Chopin is known for being way beyond her time (Evans 262). She wrote about emotions and conflicts no other author of her time would ever think to write about (Evans 262). She grew up with two powerful women, her mom and grandmother, who influenced her views on society (Wyatt).

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They also raised the children giving them the care and attention that was required, except for the discipline, which was the man’s responsibility. Although this was the ideal role for the woman to be married and to devote herself to her home and family, but the reality was that a great number of working class women had to work in domestic service, in factories or as seamstresses to be able to earn a

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During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.

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Women have drastically changed over the past few decades. In the early days, Women were seen as the weak, who only stayed at home to cook, clean, take care of the kids, and abide to their husband. They were seen as timid, dependent, and very emotional. Women had no voice in politics, there was a lack of legal rights for women, they were not allowed to own property, but by the 20th century, things began

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