The Wife Of Bath's Tale

Over the course of human history men and women have been at odds due to believed gender differences and stereotypes. In the in class readings and videos it has been shown that despite the efforts to eradicate gender roles and stereotypes the issues of the past are still largely at hand. Men and women both suffer from gender roles and stereotypes which have created a society in which boys and girls are taught to act a certain way. This has created a society that does not give equal rights of opportunity to women.

From a young age, girls and boys are expected to follow certain gender roles so they fit the mold society believes is best for them. In Emma Watson’s speech to the UN council she explains the thing holding back gender equality are …show more content…
At the end of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” the knight chooses to respect his wife’s freedom of choice, and in turn she turns into a young and beautiful, loving wife. The simple moral behind this event is if men respect women, they will respect them back, and treat them well. The golden rule is truly the key to equal treatment. Dasha Burns argues that the key to fixing the gender issues is to change the way young kids are raised. Change the social conditioning that teaches kids to exemplify the model of how their respective genders should act, by showing young girls the meaning of worth and build their courage. Emma Watson shares a similar sentiment, by sharing personal experiences of the people in her life that taught her to be a strong independent person. She explains the people changing the world today are the “inadvertent feminists,” who teach young boys and girls to be themselves and don’t push gender roles and stereotypes on them. One of the most important aspects to enacting change is to insure men are involved. “How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feels welcome?” Emma Watson feels that men and women have to work together to solve gender inequality, because it is just as much their issue as it is to women. Boys are taught from a young age to be strong and emotionless, which causes them to suffer greatly from mental illness without reaching out for help. Father’s roles are valued less in society than the role of mother’s which leads many men to be less present in their children 's lives. “If men don’t have to control,” Emma says, “women wont have to be controlled.” Enacting change in stereotypes for both males and females will lead to more equality and freedom for both genders. “If we stop defining ourselves by who we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are,” she argues, “we can start to be