Gender Stereotypes In Cinderella

Gender Stereotypes in Cinderella Fairy tales are read to children at a very young age. In today society, many children believe fairy tales are real which reflects negatively on children. The story of Cinderella is widely known across the world with many different versions of this folktale, which portrays gender stereotype throughout the tale. When reading The Cinderella, it shows how unattractive looks can lead to mistreatment by society. As children would grow up, physical appearance would be valued more over inner beauty causing bullying in schools and discriminating among others with low socioeconomic status. In addition, the story provides unequal freedom between men and women where women are trained to become good housewife and to please a man through her looks, and following with marriage. As oppose to men who make their own choices on life-partner, marriage and other important life-changing decisions. Throughout the story, the character of Cinderella is portrayed as a passive, vulnerable, and

In various Cinderella folktales, Cinderella is constantly given house chores to do. Women’s dutiful job consisted of cleaning and working around the house like Cinderella. In Germany folktale of Cinderella, the daughter Cinderella was given much difficult work around the house. Grimm explains, “then the poor child had to do the most difficult work. She had to get up before sunrise, carry water, make the fire, cook, and wash” (Cinderella). In all versions of the folktale, only women were to do housework, which was another gender stereotype throughout Cinderella’s storyline. In The Little Glass Slipper, Cinderella had “the meanest work of the house. She scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and cleaned madam's chamber.” Due to cultural and societal values, women were expected to work in the kitchen, to cook, and to clean because this was an ideal quality of a woman placing negative gender expectation on