Gender and Feminist Literary Criticism Notes
-Believe it or not, gender does not mean male or female
-Male? Female? That is your sex. You'll have to check that off on any job application
-Gender, rather, is our beliefs on what a "man" is and what a "woman" is. Where do these beliefs come from? SOCIETY!
-"One is not born a woman, one becomes one"- Simone de Beauvior In other words , an individual
may be born female (sex), but may not behave in a way that society deems to be "womanly" (gender)
-Therefore, gender is created by what one does, not by what one is.
-So, terms like "ladylike," "girly," "manly" "gentlemanly" all refer to how well one can act or perform their gender role in society
-Who comes up with the gender roles? Gender roles are actually determined by what we call "gender norms" a.k.a, just whatever is considered to be "normal" by our cultures and society. Sounds nice, right?
-Unfortunately, "Gender roles" often lead to gender stereotypes, and people might get persecuted or bullied when they step outside of their gender roles. A female not interested in clothes? A male who doesn't like sports?
-Can you think of any gender stereotypes? What are some things that only men are supposed to do or be good at? How about for women?
Male Gender Stereotypes: •All men enjoy working on cars
•Men are not nurses, they are doctors
•Men do "dirty jobs" such as construction and mechanics; they are not secretaries, teachers, or cosmetologists
•Men do not do housework and they are not responsible for taking care of children
•Men play video games
•Men play sports
•Men enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, and hiking
•Men are in charge;
•As husbands, men tell their wives what to do
•Men are lazy and/or messy
•Men are good at math
•It is always men who work in science, engineering, and other technical fields
•Men do not cook, sew, or do crafts
Female Gender Stereotypes:
Girls are supposed to wear dresses
Girls are supposed to serve food
Women are supposed to take care of babies
Women are supposed to have "clean jobs" such as secretaries, teachers, and librarians
Women are nurses, not doctors
Women are not as strong as men
Women are supposed to make less money than men
The best women are stay at home moms
Women don’t need to go to college
Women don’t play sports
Women are not politicians
Women are quieter than men and not meant to speak out
Women are supposed to be submissive and do as they are told
Women are supposed to cook and do housework
Women are responsible for raising children
Women do not have technical skills and are not good at "hands on" projects such as car repairs
Women are meant to be the damsel in distress; never the hero
Women love to sing and dance
Women are supposed to look pretty and be looked at
Women do not play video games
Women are flirts
Women are never in charge
-Can you see how many of these actually are true of many men or women that you know? They may even be true for you personally, but they do not apply to every single man or woman alive. That is what makes them stereotypes; the fact that these things are considered, "the norm" and expected of every male or female.
-Note: Actual gender roles are generally neither positive nor negative (I think everyone can appreciate a good house cleaner or an amazing cook); they are simply inaccurate, sweeping statements about male and female characteristics
What a Feminist Critic Looks For
1.Who has power? Who's in charge?
2.Isolation
3.Individualism
3.Gender roles-namely what's expected of women in society
4.Language-how do women speak: with power or with restraint, obedience, or fear?
5.Figurative Language: early women writers often used "coded" language to undermine or fool men
***And then they ask: overall, does the text go against or simply reinforce unfair gender stereotypes/roles?
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