Gender Stereotypes In The EU

1.1 Background of the study

Since the beginning of time, traditional gender stereotyping has been carrying a strong impact and influence on the division of roles between men and women, at home, in the workplace and in society at large. Scott (1986) defines gender as “a constitutive element of social relationships based on perceived differences between sexes and a primary way to signifying relationships of power. In many differing aspects, gender stereotypes have wide-ranging effects in society and are considered as being detrimental to the lives of both, women and men. They restrict people’s freedom and limit their choices. In 2012, a report on Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in the EU, which was presented in the European Parliament released

Ramazanoglu (2003), asserts that the enormous popularity of feminism in recent years has made improvements in the relations between men and women a real possibility, but has also provoked considerable opposition. The feminism movement has lead to progress, aiding women to be more independent, know their right, and be more self aware. Feminism can also be articulated differently by different women depending on their class background, level of education, consciousness, etc (Bhasin and Khan, 1999). In the play, gender is de-centered from its dominant position, as the diversity of female natures in the scenes dramatizes the lack of unity among persons of the same sex. Women in Top Girls are not represented as a uniform community, but as a group which allows plural identities to emerge. Thus, representing diverse attitudes towards class, religion, family, ethics and gender. The woman-only cast illustrates the subject matter of Top Girls and reinforces the theme of feminism. As well, it depicts how women have internalized the rules and privileges of patriarchal

Since there are various characters in the play, the research questions will be answered through a thorough analysis of the characters. One of the limitations is that the study is limited to only 1 play. However, the play will be analysed through reference to other journal articles which are closely related to the themes in context since not enough studies about the play are available.

1.5 Significance of the study

The conceptualization of gender highlights the process of the social construction of maleness and femaleness as oppositional categories with unequal social value ( M. Feree, 1990). This study will point out the effects of inequity between genders, caused by gender stereotyping and the manner in which this typecast has shaped and changed the portrayal of women in society. Gender stereotyping impacts all aspects of life, comprising of the way people feel about themselves, setting their goals for education, reacreational or work purposes as well as their behaviour and degree of participation in social and communal life. Thus, this study will emphasize on this ongoing issue, guiding readers to have a clear understanding of how and why gender stereotyping is a critical concern even in the 21st