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Gender Constructs
Gender Constructs
A universal belief in the 18th century
was that both women and
men naturally possessed distinct characteristics
– mainly, that women were biologically, socially
and intellectually inferior. Ideas about gender roles
derived generally from classical thought, Christian
ideology and contemporary science, and suggested that
these different qualities and virtues were predetermined
and difficult, if not impossible, to change.
This image from 1754 shows a
typical British family - following the typical gender
constructs by wearing proper attire and participating
in gender-appropriate activities.
Contemporary academics view the construction
of femininity as regulated by the expectations or impositions
of men, existing culture and functioning ideology. The
complex nature of femininity is shaped by the cultural
texture of the period - yet many women attempted to
find a truer identity
that was outside of the existing social and cultural
bounds.
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