Margaret Mead And John Stuart Mill And Wollstonecraft's View Of Gender

Wollstonecraft’s view of gender is that society is to blame for the inequality between men and women. The gender gap is largely due to the societal structure that has a bias towards masculinity. Wollstonecraft asserts that the inequality imposed on women is socially constructed to favor men over women. The society dictates the roles of men and women; however, these roles given men leverage over women. Men are given authority while women are subjected to be merely slaves. Wollstonecraft asserts that men are “treated like demi-gods” (656). The societal structure imposed unfair and unjust rules on women while giving men all the control. Men are given more privileges and more power than women. Society flawed system not only provides men with more

Both Mead and Mill echo the idea that women have fallen victims to the cult of domesticity. Mead talks about how women are subjected by society and culture to be homemakers. In Mead’s “Sex and Temperament” she enumerates the duties of women in society. Mead asserts that a woman’s “sole function is motherhood” (714) and that a woman’s “place is the home” (714). In Mill’s “Subjection of Women,” he talks about the role of women in society. Women are not taught to be self-reliant, they are condemned to rely on others for their subsistence. They are not given the tools to be independent. Mill affirms that women are “[destined] to receive everything from others” (681). Mead talks about how men are seen to merely be slaves of the home; whereas, Mill talks about how women have become dependent on others for their subsistence rather than being self-reliant. Mead and Mill both believe that women have fallen victims to the cult of domesticity; echoing Wollstonecraft’s view of the role of

Women still need to break away from the cult of domesticity. Women, although having made strides to be more independent, are still more or less dependent on men. Society still perceives women to be just housewives or mothers, women are subjected to the same ideas to that in Wollstonecraft’s era. Although women are given more freedoms, such as education, and employment, they are still not on the same standing as men. The role of women has undoubtedly evolved, however, this evolution does not put women in the same standing as men. Society still believes that women are still better off being housewives and mothers. According to Martha J. Cutter society believes that no matter what splendid talents a women might have “she could not use it better than by being a wife and mother” (384). The cult of domesticity still has a grasp on women; women are still bound by the home. Women are still seen as mere servants by society. Society condemns women to the home; it forces them to become dependent on men for their existence. Women must emancipate themselves from the home; they must break the chain that binds them to the cult of domesticity. Women must shatter society’s preconception of them and move towards building their own image. The cult of domesticity must be erased from society in order for women to become free from the home. Cutter asserts that women must