Gender Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Within Maycomb, there were two distinct social classes, the good and the bad, also known as the white and the black. We can see how Harper Lee makes this apparent throughout the book, like the inclusion of details about separation of races in the courtroom. This separation becomes increasingly clear when the white community shuns Atticus for his support of the black community and their equality, “Now far be it from me to say who, but some of ‘em in this town thought they were doing the right thing while back, but all they did was stir ‘em up. That’s all they did.” (p.311). The principal example of racism in the town however, is the court case where Tom Robinson is brought up on charges of raping Mayella Ewell. Despite no physical evidence and only unrespected, white witnesses providing the prosecution’s case, goodwill loses, while and racism and white supremacy wins once again; Tom was sent to the chair.
In Maycomb, women play no other role than to service the men and care for the children.
There roles within the story are quite limited. The only two adult, female role models in the book are held by Calpurnia and Miss Maudie. Whereas, the men in the story serve as examples to live by, such as Atticus, Link Deas, Judge Taylor, Tom Robinson, Dr. Reynolds, and Dolphus Raymond. Some women in fact act as anti-feminists such as Aunt Alexandrea who dismisses and speaks against Scout’s fondness to wear overalls and get dirty. Harper Lee also portrays the women in the book as very gossiping and underhanded puppets, as seen in the missionary tea sessions. Even Scout, one who truly tries to adopt womanhood, admits “But I was more at home in my father’s world…. Ladies seemed to live in faint horror of men, seemed unwilling to approve wholeheartedly of them.”
(p.313).