Gender Roles During The 1900's

Gender Roles were very traditional back in the early to mid 1900’s and still has a continued effect today. It can be observed that many of the same gender roles/stereotypes found in A Dolls House can be observed in the early to middle 1900’s North American culture: Women are expected to be housewives, rely on men financially, and to be independent at their duties.

Through out the early to middle 1900's gender roles were present but not noticed much until the mid 1900's, simply because women were always expected to be stay at home mothers, and housewives. Traditionally, men were to work and provide financial support to the family. Like what Torvald did in A Dolls House Men were the laboring individuals who were responsible for putting the
meal on the table while women typically cared for them and their children. Women’s physical abilities to be a successful asset in the workforce as well as their day to day household duties were very often overlooked do to gender strength stereotypes. During this time era, women were usually expected to take on the daily household chores as necessary.
For example; cooking, cleaning, taking care of their children and husband when he returned home from work. During World war two all the men had to go to war which opened up job opportunities for the women in the factories. So women had to take on two jobs and provide for Family and the work force. After the war men returned home and most women lost their jobs to return to their house duties. In A Dolls House Nora was the only parent to play with their children as well as caring for them; Torvald how ever, never had any mentioned interactions with his kids during the book. He was too preoccupied with his work and worrying about his and Nora’s relationship and how he looked. Nora shopped and decorated the house because that’s what mothers and wives did back in the day while the husbands were at work. Torvald really only cared about work and how he looks in society. He wanted to be looked at as superior by having a beautiful wife and kids and a good job but behind closed doors he really could care less. "From this moment happiness is not the question; all that concerns us is the remains, the fragments, the appearance."(act
3)

In a way, back then women were loyal and independent in their own duties. They never asked for assistance because they wanted to remain independent in their work to create a relaxing environment from their husbands when they returned home from a long day of work. Men were relied upon by their families to financially support them because men were the dominant gender and the only gender that was permitted to work for a physically demanding occupation, to make the primary income for the family. Therefor the women relied on the men to keep a steady job. This relates to A Dolls house because Nora takes advantage of Torvalds money, as soon as he gets it she spends it on frivolous things she thinks that they “need”.

Overall we can conclude that men were considered the dominant gender, and held minimal responsibilities once they came home from work. Most men weren’t relied upon to care for their children, and had a hard time showing affection towards them and their wives. While women were the more gentle of the two gender roles, they still worked hard to complete daily tasks at their home. Making sure it was clean, the food was made, and the children were cared for. Not only that, they were also expected to please and or care for their husbands as well when they returned home. It’s made very obvious that men and women held a set of very different day to day roles and responsibilities, but personally I believe the two genders worked equally as hard to keep up with their daily lives.