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Mikayla Burton
Mrs. Garza
English II-7
th

May 9, 2014
Roles of Men and Women
During the time of Shakespeare, the roles of men and women depended on whether they
were married and how wealthy they were. During this time, women were considered the weaker
sex. Women were supposed to be protected by the men. When married, women were expected
to bear children. Bearing children was an honor. Having children was a womens job, so they
would stay home. Most women bore children every two years. Families were not large because
so many children died. The man was head of the household and the boss. As head of the
household, the husband was able to control his wife. What ever the man said, the woman was
expected to obey. Women usually werent allowed to inherit property and they were not allowed
to have a profession. Women also had no say in marriage. They were told who they would
marry by their father. Men were seen as the superior sex and they had complete control over
women. Men could marry who ever they wanted. The men during Shakespeares time had all the
authority, choices and were expected to be the head of the family and decision maker. Women
had not authority, money or voice in their marriage. They were expected to be obey their
husbands and stay home and have children.
In the 1950s, the men would work and the women would stay home. Women couldn't
get a decent job to take care of themselves and their children. A woman's best chance at
employment would probably be a secretary, teacher, or nurse. A lot was expected from women,
yet they were discriminated. They were expected to be caring mothers, and good wives. A good
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wife always knew her place. When it came to women going to college, it was rare and unheard
of. So, there was an economic incentive to stay married. After high school, many of girls stayed
home while their husbands worked to support the family.His job was to provide for the family.
He took care of them financially. This was his responsibility, not the wife's.The wife stayed
home, did the housework and cooking, while caring for the children. The man also takes care of
all disciplinary actions.
Roles of men in women in Shakespeares time and in the 1950s are similar in different
ways. Men and women were not treated equally and men had control over the women. Men
feared intelligent women because they would end up thinking for themselves or disagreeing with
her man. That is why most women did not have a good education. The biggest similarity is how
the women were treated in both time periods.