Mother's Expectations And Gender Roles In Girl By Jamaica Kincaid

In Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, a mother is giving her daughter advice on how to become a woman. The story takes place in the 1950s where parenting methods, expectations and roles of women, and behavior of men were very different. These differences make this short story very irrelevant to modern times. The mother cares for her daughter and wants her to grow up to become what was believed to be the ideal woman.

In the 1950s, parenting methods were very different. Mothers were the primary caregivers while the fathers were considered to be the “breadwinners”. Because mothers were the primary caregivers, they often had more of an influence on the children. In this story, the mother’s advice to her daughter was focused on how to cook, clean, and fulfill other household chores. The advice was more than likely based off of how she was raised and what she had to do herself while being a stay at home mother. In modern times, most mothers teach their daughters to be independent, work hard in school, and be able to provide for themselves before having to provide for or rely on someone else. Cooking, cleaning, and fulfilling household chores are taught present day, but it is not the primary focus.

In Girl, it is clear that this era had high expectations for men rather than women. This story hints that women were expected to marry, have children, and stay at home to support their family. The mother states multiple times that her daughter is bent on becoming a slut. The mother is almost bullying her daughter into believing that if she does not follow her mother’s advice, she will become a slut and never amount to anything else. Today, expectations and roles of women are very different. It is now very normal for women to go to school, get a career, and for some never marry or bear