Gender role as a Social Norm

The role of gender refers to a collection of societal norms which determine how individuals comply on the basis of their perceived sexuality. Both men and women have a way that they are supposed to bear within society. The definition of femininity and masculinity is typically based on gender roles, although there are different exceptions and variants. In the wider sense, both men's and women's behaviours, which are perceived as socially appropriate, are considered gender stereotypes. The business plays a major role in influencing a person's behaviour. Children, for instance, adopt some of their behavior from the adults in the society, and this is what sums up to gender roles. Over the years, the roles of the women in the society have changed. The roles of the women in the 19th century are far much different from the roles of the women in the modern era. This paper focuses on the differences of the roles of the women in the modern era and in the 19th century.

Kate Chopin was born in 1850 in Louisana and was an author of short stories. As an author of short stories, she influenced the lives of most people across the globe. her writings were focused on various topics but her fight for women equality within the society was always evident in those writings (Money, 2014). She died in 1904 at the age of 54.

Edith Wharton was recognized as one of those women that fought for women rights in the late 19th century. She was born in 1862 and was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer and a talented designer. Through her novels, she sent strong message of women’s role in the society to the public. She died in 1937 aged 75 years.

Kate Chopin focused on the various roles of women in the society including motherhood, marriage and societal role. She believed that the woman was a pillar for a home and through her involvement in the conversion of a home into a glorious place, she made her marriage sparkling. She believed that motherhood was the beginning of love and passion in a marriage and that a woman was supposed to provide passionate love to her children. In the late 1800s, she fought for the rights of the women in marriage and advocated for the divorce laws through her writings.

Edith Wharton’s support for the roles of women during her time had some similarity with Kate Chopin’s efforts (Chantler, 2014). She used her short stories and novels in advocating for the gender equality. The 19th century served as a focal turnover point for the roles of the women in the society. One of these women that were on the frontline in fighting for the equality of the women was Edith. She travelled across the U.S. and Europe and in so doing she enlightened women in communities on their roles and the essence of gaining recognitions in the community.

Kate Chopin was mainly focused on marriage and she believed that a woman was supposed to make her husband happy by turning a house into a home. She believed that in marriage, a woman was supposed to bear children for the man and take care of the home. Edith, on the other hand, focused on women equality. She believed that women were supposed to fight for their equal rights in the community and at the workplaces. According to Edith, what a man can do a woman can do better.

Based on the writings of the two women, it is clear that Edith would have pushed for more support for the current women compared to Kate. Current woman have always been on the frontline in fighting for their rights and equality in the society (Smiley & Donnellan, 2001). As for Kate, her perspective on the current women would have been focused on the essence of building a happy marriage and a happy home. Kate would have emphasized on roles such as motherhood, home chores and women’s roles in society improvement.

References

Chantler, K. (2014). What's love got to do with marriage? Families, Relationships and Societies, 19-33.

Money, J. (2014). Human Sexuality. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 23-33.

Smiley, S., & Donnellan, C. (2001). Gender roles (1st ed.). Cambridge: Independence.