Stereotypes In A Doll's House

“Feminism is a principle that promotes the idea that women and men are equal and so deserve the same rights and opportunities economically, socially, and politically” (UXL Encyclopedia). In everyday human society, gender roles and stereotypes play a very established role. Most of them vary depending on the time period and culture and include many parallels that may be found throughout history connected with the way men and women are expected to behave. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, women are portrayed as shy and submissive. They depend on men to define themselves and support their every needs. A Doll’s House reflects the Northern European stereotypes of men and women in the Victorian era. Many of the same gender roles/stereotypes found in A Doll’s House can also be observed in contemporary North American cultures: women’s roles differ from men’s in marriage, the workplace, and in relation to parenting.
There are many examples of stereotypical roles between a husband and wife in marriage.
A wife’s traditional role in marriage is to be a helper to her husband. It is also observed that many wives respect their husbands by catering to their needs and helping them feel needed. Building up their self esteem and making them feel like the head of the house is most commonly known to be something every wife should do. Most women are told to “submit” to the leadership of their spouse because he tends to be the one to bring in the most money and the one to take charge of the house by enforcing rules and keeping the family together. Most couples have an established understanding of who does what in the relationship. In most cases, men tend to have the ultimate
power. In the Victorian era, all women (with the exception of widows) fully relied on their husbands to bring in the money and support them. In a way, these men shaped their wives into who they wanted them to be by enforcing strict rules on what they could and couldn’t do. It was an unwritten rule that the wives stayed home, cleaned the house, took care of the kids, and made the meals. In Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Helmer is the provider of the household and Nora is his wife. He says to Nora: “[you are] nice-because you do as your husband wishes!” (Ibsen 33) and shows in one statement exactly how he feels about her. He says she is nice because she is doing what he wants her to do and proves the powerful role he has over her. Gender roles differ tremendously in the workplace relating to the different jobs and tasks male/females do in some specific careers. Women are often expected to perform housekeeping chores around the office among their daily duties. The men expect the women to keep the office place neat and organized, as well as catering to them by making sure they're well kept with coffee and anything else they may need. Men are usually paid more than women, even if they have the same job position, because it is thought that men play a more valuable role in the workplace. Sex discrimination was a huge concept in the Victorian era because no women could do what women do nowadays. Women did not work because it was the husband’s job to make a living for the family and to bring in the money. Women cooked, cleaned, kept up with the kids, and did many things for the husband. But unlike the man of the house, the wife never got credit for her work. In A Doll’s House, one can observe this over and over again. The husband, Torvald, is very concerned with his reputation when he is informed that one of his workers forged a signature. He says to his wife, Nora; “Do you suppose I am going to make myself ridiculous before my whole staff, to let people think that I am a man to be swayed by all sorts of outside influence? I should very soon feel the consequences of it, I can tell you!” (Ibsen 35). He is caught up in his status and believed to be so far upright that he surely would not conform to anything anyone says around him, especially his wife. Women didn’t have a reputation like men in the late 1800’s because the men were known for their position in the community and mostly for their job. Men tend to be the head of the house when it comes to parenting. They make the rules and enforce them while the mother usually takes more care of the children. Most women are seen as “nurturing” and “caring,” while men are seen as “steady” and “administrative.” Often times, the father acts as a role model to the son and the mother acts as a role model to the daughter. It is a social norm for men to be the disciplinarian when it comes to the rules of the household. Moms are sweet, loving, and passive compared to the dad. In Ibsen's A Doll's House, the roles of parenting are very apparent. The father, Torvald Helmer, is simply put; a hard worker. He works in his office, constantly, without any time for his kids and wife. Nora is the mother and doesn’t spend very much with the kids either. She always seems to be shopping or trying hard for Torvald’s attention or having conversations with her friends. There is one time in the book where she gives attention to the kids and plays hide and seek with them. Any other time, the nurse announces that the kids are in need of her attention and she says, “No, no, no! Don’t let them come to me! You stay with them, Anne.” (Ibsen 28). A lot of people think it’s ridiculous for kids to grow up without proper parenting, but in the Victorian era, it seemed to be a common thing. In conclusion, there are many instances where sexism and gender roles played a part in the past and even now. Many people believe gender roles are still a thing, but they need to be stopped. In the Victorian Era, sexism was normal and no one complained about it because it worked for them and they didn’t know any better. Through all of this, it can be observed that many of the same gender roles/stereotypes found in A Doll’s House can also be observed in contemporary North American cultures: women’s roles differ from men’s in marriage, the workplace, and in relation to parenting.