Challenging Gender Roles In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte challenges the stereotypes and roles expected of women at the time by demonstrating abilities that men, as well as society do not expect her to have. Jane possesses qualities that are considered masculine according to the Victorian era such as thinking for herself and standing up to her values even when it means defying societal expectations of a female’s place. She ultimately overcomes the oppression of the male gaze that once limited her by dismissing these sexist expectations society has for her, including staying silent and dedicating her life to please a man against her will. Her interactions with Rochester, as well as St. John illustrate her resistance to passiveness and her desire for activeness, which is shown when she decides to live through her own values instead of a man’s. Despite Jane’s ability to overcome male oppression, women today are still greatly limited socially, economically, and politically solely because of their gender.
Our patriarchal society enforces a double standard when it comes to having children and caring for them. A man’s masculinity is rarely ever questioned if he chooses not to get married, have children, or care for his kids, whereas it is always expected of a woman to seek actualization through finding a partner, having kids, and dedicating all her time to raising them. Women …show more content…
This novel from 1847 illustrates the same inequalities we see today, and though our current society’s sexism is not as severe, the effects of hundreds of years of inequality remain. Although each generation makes greater advances than the one before, we are still not at a point where we can truly call men and women