Macbeth: The Evolution Of Gender Roles Of Women

Gender roles are the roles or behaviors learned by a person based upon their gender, determined by cultural norms. In recent history, attention has been brought to these gender roles, or norms, and how they should not define a person, and how a person should not have to worry about filling the gender role for their specific gender. Traditional gender norms are things like girls should play with dolls, and boys with trucks. As we get older, it’s that women should stay in the house and cook and clean, while men go out and earn money for the household. Now, in our society, the walls are being broken down between these gender norms. However, in medieval times, which is when the story of Macbeth took place, gender norms were supposed to be followed.

Gender roles have been reprimanded, as it is a stereotype many disagree with. One of the first things that began to change gender roles in society was the feminist movement, “The reconsideration of gender identities became a focal point for feminists in the 1960s and 1970s, and that debate remained critical in the context of later feminist concerns.” (Roof, Judith). The roles that women had previously had within their families was being looked at differently, “The feminist movement influences gender role change both in and outside the family in multiple ways. Broadly speaking, the movement may be viewed as a social process focusing on female role identities and prescriptions. Its basic premise is that gender ascriptions produce power inequities in family systems where the male is the primary paid earner and the female is confined to domestic duties.” (Falk, Laurence) Women began to advocate for their rights, and set about to start changing gender norms for themselves. But now, things have been changing, “Most people are open-minded in our days and they don’t care about the traditional stereotypes anymore.” (Giles, Abie) Now, women are able to have careers, “The women role in society has changed as well and many of them are more focused on their career than on raising a family.” (Giles, Abie) Men also are not always the workers of the house, and are able to stay home, “Recent years have witnessed a gradual change in the role of the modern male as the power dynamic has shifted towards women, who are increasingly influential in the workplace. The number of stay at home dads, for example, has risen steadily over the last few years.” (GMS Group) Also, appearances with men and women have also changed. Men no longer have to have short hair, and women could wear whatever they want to, “What if women wear pants and men have long hair? While such an idea has been considered preposterous in the