The Female Stereotype Essay, Research Paper
Stereotypes have been a portion of society for a really long clip and are still present today. Both Svava Jakobsdottir s & # 8220 ; A Story for Children & # 8221 ; and Alice Munro s & # 8220 ; The Office & # 8221 ; portion a common stereotype sing the female gender. The female stereotype is the most concrete of all stereotypes which explains why both short narratives possess a really similar nature for a typical adult female. This stereotyped female is expected to hold a delicate character, to take attention of the house work and the kids, to hold no personal individuality, and to be comparatively simple and inferior in comparing to work forces.
The first facet of the female stereotype found in the narratives every bit good as world is the female character. Womans are by and large seen as delicate persons. Society believes that a adult female has no assurance and demands support from some external component. This characteristic is found in & # 8220 ; A Story for Children & # 8221 ; where the female parent has to travel to a magazine to & # 8220 ; [ seek ] bravery and conformation that she was on the right path in life & # 8221 ; ( Jakobsdottir 527 ) .
In & # 8220 ; The Office, & # 8221 ; the adult females s delicate character is suggested by Mr. Malley. He says that he is happy that his married woman didn T see the obscene remarks that were written in the washroom because it & # 8220 ; upsets a adult female that s had a nice conveying up & # 8221 ; ( Munro 922 ) . Since Mr. Malley is a adult male, the foul linguistic communication didn t disquieted him but it would surely upset the delicate character of a adult female. Mr. Malley touches the stereotype of the delicate adult females one time more when he says that the field and empty office is non comfy for a adult female. He suggests ways in which the office could go more comfy for the storyteller since & # 8220 ; a adult females wants things a spot cosier & # 8221 ; ( Munro 918 ) .
Another stereotype refering adult females is that they are responsible for taking attention of the house and chores that semen with it. In Jakobsdottir s narrative, the female parent is portrayed as being & # 8220 ; true to her nature and give all her energies to her place and her kids & # 8221 ; ( Jakobsdottir 526 ) . Women ( in this instance mothers/wives ) are expected to merely concentrate on duties related to the house and nil else. They are responsible for feeding the whole household. Wifes and female parents non merely have to do certain that the kids and hubby receive their repast, but the household pets besides. In & # 8220 ; A Story for Children, & # 8221 ; mamma has the duty of & # 8220 ; fixing supper & # 8221 ; because the & # 8220 ; kids might endure psychological injury from non acquiring supper on clip & # 8221 ; ( Jacobsdottir 526,527 ) . In & # 8220 ; The Office, & # 8221 ; the storyteller negotiations about how work forces are non expected to feed the pets ; it is the adult female s responsibility to & # 8220 ; feed the cat & # 8221 ; ( Munro 916 ) .
Once once more, the bond between adult females and house jobs is displayed, but this clip in & # 8220 ; The Office. & # 8221 ; Munro places a scene in the narrative where a & # 8220 ; adult female came out of one of the empty offices, dragging a vacuity cleaner & # 8221 ; ( Munro 917 ) . This little event shows a great stereotype that adult females are responsible for house jobs since vacuity cleaners are associated with cleansing, which is a responsibility around the house.
The stereotyped adult female is besides expected to take attention of the kids. In & # 8220 ; A Story for Children, & # 8221 ; mamma is & # 8221 ; swamped with work caring for the kids & # 8221 ; ( Jakobsdottir 528 ) . No affair how busy a adult female is, the kids are her duty. The stereotype consists of the female parent holding no life of her ain, but involves the adult female populating her life through the life of the kids. It is clearly said in & # 8220 ; The Office & # 8221 ; that a adult female & # 8220 ; gazing into infinite, into a state that is non her hubby s or her kids s is likely known to be an discourtesy against nature & # 8221 ; ( Munro 916 ) . Therefore, adult females are predisposed to concentrate wholly on their kids and bury about their ain life.
The construct of adult females s duty of taking attention of the kids is even touched at an indirect degree. This relationship is accomplished when Mr. Malley gives the storyteller a program
t. He thinks she likes workss and it will “brighten things up” for her ( Munro 918 ) . This comes back to adult females being predisposed to taking attention of the kids. Womans like to take attention of turning workss merely like they enjoy taking attention of turning kids.
The female stereotype besides expects adult females to hold no life other than house work and hence are assumed to hold no individuality. In & # 8220 ; A Story for Children & # 8221 ; , she is called & # 8220 ; Mama & # 8221 ; throughout the narrative, which absolutely demonstrates how a adult female ( mother/wife ) is seen by society as non holding a definite individuality. Women, harmonizing to the typical label created by the populace, are portion of the house. They are expected to concentrate so much on the place and the jobs within the house that they are considered to be the house. Munro provinces in her narrative ( harmonizing to society ) that the storyteller & # 8220 ; is the house ; there is no separation possible & # 8221 ; ( Munro 916 ) . She is fused with the house and they are considered one construct in the eyes of a stereotyped universe.
Womans hold no true individuality and that is why the kids in & # 8220 ; A Story for Children & # 8221 ; did non see their female parent after they moved out. The kids did non see her because they & # 8220 ; didn t like the sterile odor that clung to everything in the house & # 8221 ; ( Jakobsdottir 531 ) . The unfertile odor represents the deficiency of individuality. Something that is unfertile doesn T truly hold any distinguishable features. Hence, since the female parent s life revolves around the house and non her ain being, she possesses no diverse qualities. She is exanimate merely like the house and since she is typically related to house work she is hence considered the house.
The last stereotyped facet of the female character found in the narratives is the fact that adult females a simple and inferior compared to work forces. The stereotype that adult females are comparatively simple is reinforced in & # 8220 ; A Story for Children. & # 8221 ; The label is displayed through the event where the kids take mamma s encephalon. Even without her encephalon, & # 8220 ; it hadn t go a spot more hard for her to make housework & # 8221 ; ( Jakobsdottir 529 ) . The fact that she can still make her modus operandi without her encephalon indicates that adult females live a simple life and hence are simple in nature. Jakobsdottir is stating that the stereotyped adult females s life or duties are so simple that they can be done without an mind.
The other half of the last stereotype in the narratives is related to adult females s lower status. This stereotype reveals that adult females have small authorization and work forces are superior to them. Women s lower status is displayed a few times in & # 8220 ; The Office. & # 8221 ; When the supporter first moves into her office, she is confronted with the lower status stereotype. Mr. Malley is the adult male who tries to command her as the stereotype would hold it. He does non inquire her desire she wants, but tells her alternatively. Mr. Malley says, & # 8220 ; What you want is a nice easy chair to sit in & # 8221 ; alternatively of inquiring her if she wanted an easy chair ( Munro 918 ) . He tries to do her inferior to him.
The other incident of the stereotype of the inferior adult females occurs when Mr. Malley talks to the storyteller about her inappropriate behavior ( that he is conceive ofing ) . When he talks to her, he lifts his manus in & # 8220 ; a forgiving gesture & # 8221 ; ( Munro 921 ) . Mr. Malley is presuming he has power over her. He believes in the stereotype of inferior adult females relative to work forces and is moving upon his premises.
The stereotype for adult females that was found in & # 8220 ; A Story for Children & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; The Office & # 8221 ; consisted of the delicacy character, the duty of house work and kid raising, the absence of an individuality, and the simple being with inferior position. Both Jakobsdotter and Munro portrayed a really realistic female stereotype that has been around for along clip. The female stereotype is a really good known label to all persons. The critical portion of stereotypes is non the figure of people who know about the stereotypes, but how many people believe them.
