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Elizabethan Gender Roles

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Elizabethan Gender Roles
Gender Roles: Shakespearean and Modern During the Elizabethan times, there were many issues facing common people and William Shakespeare. An important issue that played a part in everyday life for Elizabethans, whether rich or poor, was the difference between men and women. Gender roles have been debated throughout history and are changing everyday. Although modern American gender roles are much more defined and different than Elizabethan times, if Shakespeare were to live today, his writing would have been very different. Gender roles are something that affect every aspect of life, in Elizabethan times and present day. Although the differences between eras may seem immense, modern America has similar morals and ethics to Elizabethan times. Marriage is a major way of life in both times and important to most people. Since the beginning of time, people have always looked for a companion that will care and love them no matter what (“Marriage and Family”). This is a similarity between Elizabethan times and today because finding somebody to love is a natural way of life, and almost all humans want to complete this task. Women today and in the Elizabethan times are very alike because they find a need to get married more than men do (“Chronobiology?”) Women feel the need to satisfy their biological clock with marriage and children, and they always will. For that reason, women in both eras are the primary care givers to children (“Chronobiology?”) Even though women satisfy their children’s needs more than men do, men and women together have always loved their children to full capacity (“Marriage and Family”). Women and men’s behavior and jobs are something that society has always judged people by. The two genders each practice different things in their life, but some of their practices were the same as Elizabethan times and today (“Elizabethan Women”). Women in both eras think that it is important to display themselves nicely in front of people. First of


Cited: Pricard, Liza. Elizabeth 's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London. London: Macmillan, 2005 Stear, John. "What is Chronobiology?" Circadiana. 12 Jan. 2005. 11 Apr. 2008 . "Homophobia." Anti-Defamation League. 9 Apr. 2008 . "Marriage and Family." Life in Elizabethan England. 26 Mar. 2000. 9 Apr. 2008 . "Elizabethan Women." Elizabeth. 9 Apr. 2008 . Women 's Job List. 9 Apr. 2008 . Mortenson, Tom. "Boy Projects Statistics." Boys Project. 26 Apr. 2006. 10 Apr. 2008 .
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