Gender Theme notes

IDEAS ABOUT GENDER AND GENDER INEQUALITY

-Mr and Mrs Birling have very traditional views about women. Even as her husband’s “social superior”, Mrs Birling believes that wives must come second to their husband’s work: “men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business”. This presents the idea that women are much less important than men and, even worse, less important than work. Mrs Birling highlights the type of women that have accepted their lower status is society and don’t realise the need for change- she is the type that would not be involved in campaigning for the vote.

-Sheila’s engagement to Gerald is very important to her because, at the time, hopes of having a decent life was down to marriage. The Birlings and Gerald are feeling “pleased with themselves” and Sheila is “very pleased with life and rather excited”. Women were possessions of their husbands and did not work/have careers, which shows it was patriarchal society. For most upper class women, the best they could hope for was to impress a rich man and marry well - which could explain why Sheila spent so long in Milwards.” Through the engagement, Priestley also creates a male stereotype. Birling has a very practical, business attitude to the engagement. Firstly, Birling is happy about the engagement because it could mean the merging of “Crofts Limited” and “Birling and Company” for “lower costs and higher prices”, showing the engagement is more about business than love to him. Also, after Gerald confesses his affair and Sheila gives back the ring, Mr Birling says “you must understand that a lot of young men…” showing that he is very practical about the engagement, he wants it for his business but also knows Sheila needs to get married in order to have a good life. None of the characters are overly shocked by Gerald’s affair which suggests that this was common at the time, and so shows the inequality between the ways men were allowed to behave compared to women.

-Sheila is a very stereotypical girl at the beginning of the play. Sheila’s attitude when her engagement ring is presented indicates her being impressed with material things: she says “I really feel engaged” and looks at it “admiringly”. As the inspector’s interrogation begins the audience feels the change taking place in Sheila, from asking if Eva is  “pretty?” to arguing “But these girls aren’t cheap labour- they’re people.” By the end of the play she cares about much more important things and even declines the engagement ring back from Gerald, saying “it’s too soon”.  She gradually breaks the socially accepted way for woman to behave and becomes much more independent. It is likely Sheila is the type of girl who, with her newfound maturity and independence, would be campaigning to give women the vote.

-Men were seen as the decision makers. When Gerald presents Sheila her ring, Sheila asks “Is this the one you wanted me to…