18th Century Gender Roles

The 21st century what a beautiful time to be a man or woman to love who they want, say what they want and do what they want, unless its legal, but about 3 centuries ago ways that we have grown so accustomed to today weren’t the same for men and women in that era. You see, in the 18th century men and women were cast into these stereotypical gender roles that they feel like they needed to abide by, women were to be barriers of children, caretakers of the household and to blindly submit to their spouses, whereas men pretty much could do whatever they seem fit simply because, they were men. The 18th century was a difficult time for both genders, but in my opinion, specifically women who have since then evolved from these 18th century patriarchal views, yet we are still categorized as solely on our gender and having to fit in impossible roles that society boxes us in. Hippolita and Matilda, mother and daughter, but the both shared completely different views. …show more content…
Manfred, no longer sees Hippolita as a useful asset for childbearing, he decides to discard her, nearly killing her in the process. When she had a conversation with Friar Jerome about her contemplating divorce, she later decided not to go on with it, but when Manfred brought up the idea of him marrying his former daughter-in-law Isabella, she passively agrees with Manfred demand for a divorce and refuses to acknowledge Manfred’s malicious intentions on the divorce. Hippolita’s views in such a patriarchal time propose that l obedience to Manfred is nearly as equal as her obedience to God, that men have as much say so in the lives of women equally to