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Explore the importance of Gender Roles and Expectations in TIOBE - Coggle…
Explore the importance of Gender Roles and Expectations in TIOBE
Lady Bracknell's character goes against gender expectations of women in the Victorian era
She takes on typically male roles in her family on the behalf of Lord Bracknell such as arranging Gwendolen's marriage/ potential suitors
"when you do become engaged to some one, I, or your father... will inform you of the fact"
The fact that she put her name before Lord Bracknell's suggests that she has precedence over him, and that her decision matters more than his. This would not have typically been the case in Victorian society, as men were the heads of the family and made the decisions on who their children married.
Lady Bracknell also seems to know more about politics than a typical Victorian women. This can be seen when she is questioning Jack about his background and eligibility to marry Gwendolen
"What are your politics?"
"Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us"
This shows her to go against gender stereotypes of the Victorian era, as political conversation was typically a very masculine topic, and women did not yet have the right to vote (the play is set in 1895) and wouldn't have help much of an opinion on political views. The role of finding out if a suitor was eligible should have fallen to Lord Bracknell, but as he is absent, Lady Bracknell takes on this masculine role.
Lady Bracknell does not fit gender stereotypes in the fact that she expects to be served and obeyed at all times. Her behaviour can be described as greedy, interfering and insensitive.
These character traits stand in explicit contrast to the qualities attributed to the ideal Victorian woman
"I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die"
"Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids. I consider it morbid"
Lady Bracknell's character goes with gender stereotypes and expectations of the Victorian era
Whilst she does take on typically masculine roles, she also shows some of the frivolous values of Victorian women, such as caring about superficial things like whether a house is on the fashionable side of a square and how it can change her opinion of a person so readily
"What number in Belgrave square?"
"149"
"The unfashionable side. I thought there was something"
Her desire to find her daughter and affluent and wealth man to marry, who is well connected and brought up well shows her to fit Victorian stereotypes of the upper-classes
"brought up with the utmost care"
Gwendolen both ignores and fits gender expectations of Victorian women
She reprimands Jack for the way that he proposes and tells him that he hadn't done it very well, and that he should have practised. This goes against gender expectations of Victorian women, as she wasn't mild and well-mannered, but abrupt and even slightly rude to Jack's proposal.
"Gwendolen, will you marry me?"
"Of course I will, darling... I am afraid you have had very little experience in how to propose"
"Yes but men often propose for practice"
Gwendolen is a perfect example of a stereotypical Victorian lady because she is elegant, charming, fragile, and well mannered.
"f I marry a charming girl like Gwendolen"
And even though she is more talkative than quiet and tries to choose whom she wants to marry, she still maintains a perfect form of femininity on the outside. In conclusion, Gwendolen foretells how females presented themselves on the outside, but what they long for is inside. The inside being represented as Gwendolen’s rebellion to the modern day values which included many things emphasizing marriage since social status was vastly important
She also fits the gender expectation of Victorian women as their main goal in life is to be married. Victorian woman's duty in life was to marry well and were discouraged from remaining unmarried
She does this by arranging her own marriage to Jack, but this also goes against the stereotype of young women being respectful to their parents,as well as that of being unintelligent and unable to do things for themselves
Cecily mainly fits the gender expectations of Victorian women
Cecily needs to get approval from Jack in regards to anything since he is her guardian, and she does in fact wait for his approval for mist things. However, her engagement to Algy does not wait and goes ahead without even telling him. But, because she is his ward, he had the ability to stop it
"I beg your pardon for interrupting you, Lady Bracknell, but this engagement is quite out of the question. I am Miss Cardew’s guardian, and she cannot marry without my consent until she comes of age. That consent I absolutely decline to give"
Jack also controls Cecily’s education because even though Cecily does not want to learn German she is pressured by Jack to keep learning and improving on the language
However, Cecily also goes against gender expectations as she is in a position of power in her 'relationship' to Algy, but is unable to use it as she is a woman. instead, she uses this power to instead uphold the traditional gender stereotypes
in this way, she does still fit the gender expectations of Victorian women