Explore the significance of gender stereotypes in this extract
Throughout this extract of ‘Oranges are not the only fruit’ there are connotations of how British
society up until the 20th century viewed the role of both women and men. It is clear that there were
specific expectations for both genders and that equality between the two was still a developing
concept. However it is insinuated in parts of the extract that there were times when women would
sometimes subtly and others not so attempt to break free of these stereotypical views and break the
boundaries society had set in place.
The beginning of the extract describes how the narrator had chosen to disobey her mother’s orders
on wash day and hide in the dustbin in order to listen in on a conversation between two typical
housewives who had managed to sneak out for a short break and a gossip. This concept of a
traditional housewife is demonstrated through the referral to the routine of ‘each Wednesday’
implying that Doreen has specific jobs to do as a housewife which must be done at specific points in
the week. Furthermore ‘special offer mince’ illustrates how as the man was the only member of the
couple or family bringing in a steady income prioritising the necessities became an important role
and if something could be brought for cheaper that was the better option. The adjective ‘special’
implies that this isn’t a regular occurrence which again emphases the importance of the fact that it
had to be bought on this day. This links to how in the early 1900’s when the only jobs that women
were allowed to endure in was in the textile industry. It wasn’t until 1941 and the Second World War
started when that the National Service Act conscription for women was introduced due to men
going off to fight and all unmarried women between the ages of 20-30 were called up. This was later
extended to the age of 43 and married women although pregnant women and those with young
children were exempt. This was due to the stereotypical view that women belonged in the kitchen
whilst men did the work which again emphasises these gender roles.
Additionally, ‘she daren’t go to the police’ further indicates this notion of women being the lesser
partner in the relationship and the lack of power that they had when it came to defending
themselves against abuse and the entitlement that men had to their wives life savings. The prejudice
laws of marriage prevented women from having a voice until the sexual offences act was passed in
1956 husbands were allowed to have sex with their wives without consent and with the use of drugs
and avoid imprisonment. Similarly, the married women’s property act was not passed until 1964
which enabled women to keep half of any savings she has made from the allowance she is given by
her husband. Moreover, ‘course the children helped’ reveals the desperation that many women felt
as they were seen a disgrace in society’s eyes if their marriage fails as it was never considered to be
the man’s fault. The verb ‘helped’ highlights the distress that women were enduring as a
consequence of a failed marriage and the lengths that they would go to in order to attempt to save
it as she initiates the idea of having the children in order to prove herself to be the ideal women of
the time to her husband and British society.
Additionally, towards the end of the extract Doreen expresses her concern for her daughter’s failure
to introduce a boyfriend to her mother at a point in her life where this should be a factor of great
importance for a young women of her age. ‘If she don’t get a boyfriend folks will talk’ creates
connotations of pride that her mother has for her family which she doesn’t want to be defaced by
people from the community making assumptions on her daughter sexuality as it was seen as an
embarrassment to be associated with anyone who wasn’t straight. Likewise, when Doreen refers to
the suspected lesbian couple at the corner shop she uses the pronoun ‘them’ to initiate a collective
label for them which initiates the interpretation that she hasn’t risked the social disapproval of
Throughout this extract of ‘Oranges are not the only fruit’ there are connotations of how British
society up until the 20th century viewed the role of both women and men. It is clear that there were
specific expectations for both genders and that equality between the two was still a developing
concept. However it is insinuated in parts of the extract that there were times when women would
sometimes subtly and others not so attempt to break free of these stereotypical views and break the
boundaries society had set in place.
The beginning of the extract describes how the narrator had chosen to disobey her mother’s orders
on wash day and hide in the dustbin in order to listen in on a conversation between two typical
housewives who had managed to sneak out for a short break and a gossip. This concept of a
traditional housewife is demonstrated through the referral to the routine of ‘each Wednesday’
implying that Doreen has specific jobs to do as a housewife which must be done at specific points in
the week. Furthermore ‘special offer mince’ illustrates how as the man was the only member of the
couple or family bringing in a steady income prioritising the necessities became an important role
and if something could be brought for cheaper that was the better option. The adjective ‘special’
implies that this isn’t a regular occurrence which again emphases the importance of the fact that it
had to be bought on this day. This links to how in the early 1900’s when the only jobs that women
were allowed to endure in was in the textile industry. It wasn’t until 1941 and the Second World War
started when that the National Service Act conscription for women was introduced due to men
going off to fight and all unmarried women between the ages of 20-30 were called up. This was later
extended to the age of 43 and married women although pregnant women and those with young
children were exempt. This was due to the stereotypical view that women belonged in the kitchen
whilst men did the work which again emphasises these gender roles.
Additionally, ‘she daren’t go to the police’ further indicates this notion of women being the lesser
partner in the relationship and the lack of power that they had when it came to defending
themselves against abuse and the entitlement that men had to their wives life savings. The prejudice
laws of marriage prevented women from having a voice until the sexual offences act was passed in
1956 husbands were allowed to have sex with their wives without consent and with the use of drugs
and avoid imprisonment. Similarly, the married women’s property act was not passed until 1964
which enabled women to keep half of any savings she has made from the allowance she is given by
her husband. Moreover, ‘course the children helped’ reveals the desperation that many women felt
as they were seen a disgrace in society’s eyes if their marriage fails as it was never considered to be
the man’s fault. The verb ‘helped’ highlights the distress that women were enduring as a
consequence of a failed marriage and the lengths that they would go to in order to attempt to save
it as she initiates the idea of having the children in order to prove herself to be the ideal women of
the time to her husband and British society.
Additionally, towards the end of the extract Doreen expresses her concern for her daughter’s failure
to introduce a boyfriend to her mother at a point in her life where this should be a factor of great
importance for a young women of her age. ‘If she don’t get a boyfriend folks will talk’ creates
connotations of pride that her mother has for her family which she doesn’t want to be defaced by
people from the community making assumptions on her daughter sexuality as it was seen as an
embarrassment to be associated with anyone who wasn’t straight. Likewise, when Doreen refers to
the suspected lesbian couple at the corner shop she uses the pronoun ‘them’ to initiate a collective
label for them which initiates the interpretation that she hasn’t risked the social disapproval of
