Gender Roles In Perrault's Fairy Tales

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Throughout decades, parents had been reading and telling fairy tales to their children. Children had been exposed to princesses being humiliated, weak, and poorly treated. But it did not prevent the princess from getting her happy ending. The princess would find her prince charming and ride away into the sunset as she heads to the mansion. The idea that a girl must appear weak, fragile, and be humiliated is embedded in the heads of many young girls to get the desired ending. This concept has been illustrated and taught in fairy tales such as in Perrault 's Stories. Fairy tales in particular like the Cinderella stories re-enforces the idea that women and young girls should follow gender roles to have a traditional happy ending.

Cinderella was a common princess among children. It had been read for almost many centuries, but what we do not realize is how it manifested the idea that women should be dependable towards men. Perrault’s version of Cinderella …show more content…

Cinderella had been extremely associated into what woman are meant to be doing and following. It is stereotypical for women to be working at home rather than working outside. Women are told that their priorities are to stay at home to cook, clean, and take care of their children. Cinderella is described and has the characteristics of a stay home mom. In Perrault 's version, he writes, “She scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and cleaned madam’s chamber, and those of misses, her daughter”(70 Perrault). Cinderella worked at home and obeyed orders by her stepmother and sister. Just like how women were being ordered by men, so was Cinderella by them. Women were told that their job was to be at home either taking care of the children or cleaning the house. Cinderella portrayed the role of a woman and it influences women and young girls that they must follow this to get that happy ending that they

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