Gender And Discrimination An Inspector Calls. Women were used as possessions by men Women didn’t...
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Gender And Discrimination An Inspector Calls. Women were used as possessions by men Women didn’t have the same rights as men Even upper class women had
Women were used as possessions by men Women didnt have the same
rights as men Even upper class women had few choices. For most, 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. At the
time of the setting of the play
Slide 3
Upper class women could only hope for a bright future if they
found a rich man and Sheila was successful in doing so therefore
there was so much celebration in the Birling Household in the
beginning of the play.
Slide 4
At the time of the setting of the play For working class women,
a job was crucial. There was no social security at that time, so
without a job they had no money. There were very few options open
to women in that situation: many saw no alternative but to turn to
prostitution. Eva Smith represented all the working class women at
the time and that is how the viewers get to understand their
situation at the time.
Slide 5
At the time of the setting of the play Times were starting to
change ( the play is set at a time of political and social
unrest)
Slide 6
The way that the men try to protect Sheila and Mrs Birling
throughout the play. -Sheila take your mother along to the drawing-
room go on Sybil. (pg 52) Mr Birling is dismissive of the several
hundred women in his factory: - "We were paying the usual rates and
if they didn't like those rates, they could go and work somewhere
else. How is this theme presented?
Slide 7
Mr. Birling (pg 17) Nothing to do with you, Sheila. Run along.
views Sheila as unable to understand situations and so tries to
exclude her Gerald saw Eva as "young and fresh and charming" - in
other words, someone vulnerable he could amuse himself by helping.
How is this theme presented?
Slide 8
Mrs Birling couldn't believe that "a girl of that sort would
ever refuse money." Her charitable committee was a sham: a small
amount of money was given to a small amount of women, hardly ever
making the lives of lower-class women better. How is this theme
presented?
Slide 9
Eva smith, being a lower class woman, lived in a society where
she had no influence or power. (pg 15) Shed had a lot to say - far
too much - she had to go. Her identity as a woman is deeply bound
with the identity as a member of the working class. How is this
theme presented?
Slide 10
Mrs. Birling - middle class woman of considerable influence -
involved in good works, considered a suitable occupation for a lady
in society. Women of higher classes did not work, but did only
charitable work. This was seen as acceptable as it was a caring
role that fitted with the idealised Victorian view, still held
then, of women as mothers. She accepts her role as a married woman
of a rich guy whose work is very important. How the theme is
reflected through each female character
Slide 11
Sheila - follows this path by not working, the only occupation
mentioned which she does is shopping. Mr. Birling (pg 9) Yes, but
youve got to remember, my boy, that clothes mean something quite
different to a woman. However, her character opposes the nature of
the theme throughout: Sheila has greater independence in mind and
spirit and she does not comply with the ordinary attitudes. For
example, she is not ready to accept the fact Geralds work will come
between their relationship: I dont believe I will (pg 3), and
objects to Birlings commands: protesting (pg 52) How the theme is
reflected through each female character
Slide 12
Daisy/Eva - a working class girl, possibly an orphan, who has
to work for a living and is seen to be completely at the mercy of
men. How the theme is reflected through each female character
Slide 13
He does not dismiss Eva just because she had to go to
prostitution- he realizes that she had no choice. He treats her
death with a strong concerned attitude; does not dissolve the
intensity of the crime just because the victim was female. How the
Inspector handles it
Slide 14
Talks firmly and severely to both genders- no difference
between them. Inspector (pg 27) And you think young women ought to
be protected against unpleasant and disturbing things? : He is
trying to back up women in society and questions the altered
attitude towards them. How the Inspector handles it
Slide 15
At the point when Eva had nothing to live for: no home to go
back to (pg 19), and the fact that she is pregnant without any
financial support as a result of gender and womanhood is what
pushes her over the edge. As a result of Eva's position as a woman
- in the days before women were valued by society and had not yet
been awarded the right to vote - she was in an even worse position
than a lower class man. How the theme contributes to Evas
death
Slide 16
Significant that the victim is a woman- the play may not have
been successful if the victim was a man- grabs sympathy from the
audience and so it is essential that Eva is shown as vulnerable as
possible (if the victim was a man they would not have been taken
advantage of and exposed to such cruelty like Eva was by Gerald and
Eric sexually) Why a woman?
