Mary Vingoe Gender Roles

“It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals,” said Emma Waston (Conway). This quote exemplifies that in our society today, men are pressured to be strong and dominant while women feel the pressure to be submissive and independent. This illustrates the gender stereotypes that are still present and proves that we have been living in a phallocentric society. Overtime, women have been treated harshly and as commodities. In addition, women have never been portrayed as a strong character, and were never given strong leads in literature as seen in the play, Refuge by Mary Vingoe and the poem “Home” by Warsan Shire. The representation of the female characters in both texts strongly promotes the traditional gender view of women as weak. …show more content…
In the play Pamela has been always dependent on the lawyer to execute her ideas. Pamela desperately wanted to help Amleset but, she did not have the power to do so herself. This makes it seem as though women are uneducated and men are the central figures. Also, the lawyer role could have been played by a woman. However, the playwright gave the role to a man because there is a stereotype that men are smarter and stronger individuals and have careers that are more professional than women. This emphasizes the reality that women are inferior to men. Also, Amleset was given the role of an emotional woman who has no control or power in helping her son to gain a better life. Just like Pamela, she was in a position of no power and authority. However, not only does the play depict women as weak, the poem “Home”, similarly lays emphasis on the fact that literature continues to follow the traditional gender view of women as submissive and