I Stand Here Ironing By Tillie Olsen

In “I stand here ironing” by Tillie Olsen, the narrator struggles to provide adequate care and affection for her children because of having to work long hours. Olsen’s theme is shown as the difficulties of balancing motherhood with the pressures of society. Supported by the depowerment of women, the economic and social operations of the patriarchy, and how male and female roles are defined.
The work reveals the economic and social operations of the patriarchy by how the mother had to rely on the father’s family even after he left her. “Her father left me before she was a year old. I had to work her first six years when there was work, or I sent her home and to his relatives” This quote shows how there was little to no balance between spending

Another way that Olsen supports her theme is how the male and female roles are presented in the story. “I was working, there were four smaller ones now, there was not time for her. She had to help be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper.”This quote shows the mother
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and Emily's roles as the story progresses as a result of their family becoming larger. The story takes place during the World Wars, women started performing in jobs that were traditionally only done by men. The mother took on a male role in the workforce that previously would not have been expected of her, leaving Emily as the eldest daughter to help raise the children, putting her prematurely in the traditional female role for this time. She performs duties that mirror the things that her mother did for her. This is proven as it reflects the author’s own story, as the second of seven children to unsuccessful farming parents, it is almost a guarantee that Olsen had to step into a maternal role as an older daughter, just as Emily did.
Finally, Olsen uses the depowerment of women within the story to showcase her