Wk 4 - Exploring Gender Roles. Analysis of Sleeping Beauty

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WK 4- Exploring Gender Roles
Researchers have conducted numerous roles in the existing social and cultural practices that exist in society. One of the typical findings is that men and women have differentiated roles based on existing social stereotypes. Notably, parents and caregivers socialize boys and girls differently, which determines their gendered purposes in adulthood. Traditionally, women would embark on roles within the household settings, such as taking care of the children, washing, taking care of the elderly, and cooking.
Similarly, men were the sole decision-makers and financial providers. However, human rights activists advocate for the empowerment of women, thus, resulting in changes in gender roles. For instance, women have opportunities for making a relevant decision both within the family and in the public domain (Grimm et al., p. 169). Although the society has made notable progress towards gender equality, Fairy tales characters, such as in The Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, portray different forms of gender roles, which either conform to traditional or modern practices.
Analysis of Sleeping Beauty
Sleeping Beauty by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is one of the outstanding fairytale, which has different forms of ubiquitous characterization of gender imbalance. Notably, the authors portray men in positions of power and women as submissive characters. The imbalanced gender characterization results from existing double standards on gendered roles and female archetypes. In a patriarchal society, men and women have differentiated gender roles in marriage. While a woman’s image can change drastically, the authors portray women and men’s roles as unchangeable. For instance, the authors describe a princess as an innocent character with various types of grace. According to Grimm et al., “the girl was so beautiful, polite, kind, and sensible…” (p. 172). Therefore, the author reveals that women ought to emulate the princess and remain polite and kind to conform to the expectations in society.
One of the notable findings in the fairytale is that women ought to be submissive to men. All the characters express their respect and submissiveness towards men. In the narrative, the female characters embark on gendered roles within the household setting. For example, the authors portray women taking care of their children, such as breastfeeding (Grimm et al., p. 168). One of the notable findings in the narrative is that marriage can only work if women and men conform to the stereotyped roles that develop during their development stage. Based on the patriarchal standards in the society, the authors portray the princess as a subversive character from a traditional mild princess towards a dominant housewife with numerous forms of maternal instincts.
Besides, Grimm and co-authors portray women as young and beautiful to please men counterparts. Predominantly, beauty is one of the most appealing attributes that each of the characters must have and an indicator of happiness. Arguably, the authors idealize female roles in the short narrative and reveal the heroine princess as perfect. The princess is kind, beautiful, and compassionate towar...