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Kim Cherisse Cruz

Professor Ditch
English 113B
02 April 2015
Super Women
In the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann
Shaffer and Annie Barrows, Juliet Ashton and Elizabeth McKenna stepped outside the
tradition women gender roles by being strong independent women. They break free from
the idea of femininity and masculinity, which has been defined as a social construction of
gender performance. Social construction is how society groups people and how it
privileges certain groups over others. Although, gender inequality still exist in the work
force today, Juliet and Elizabeth pushed boundaries and broke free from the social
construction of gender performance by being strong and brave women that society
refuses them to be.
The tradition gender roles of women in society, women are intended to stay home,
clean the house and take care of the kids. Throughout history women are known to be
feminine and they are to take up the roles of being a wife and a mother. Just because
women are supposed to be more feminine it is odd to see them be independent. For
instance, Rhetoric for Radicals by Jason Del Gandio states, Man is constructed as
independent, superior, and foundational to humanity. Women, by contrast, is constructed
as dependent, subordinate and secondary (115). The characteristics that are given to men
and women are social constructions. Just like the idea of women being weak while men
are dominant. Society tells them what they are supposed to be. Judith Butler argues that

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gender is an objective natural thing and it does not exist. Gender reality is performative
which means, quite simply, that it is only real to the extent that it is performed
(Performative 278). Gender, according to Butler, is not tied to body facts but it solely
and completely a social construction. Women were restricted to the roles of a wife and a
mother therefore they stay home since it was uncommon for women to work and make
their own earnings. Because of the fact that women could not work, they became very
dependent on men.
Back in 1940, time of World War II, the average bride was just twenty-one. But
today, the average age for a woman to get married is twenty-six. Since women got
married very young, women would be mothers before they turned twenty-two, therefore
they entered the life of motherhood and homemaking before they had the chance to think
about what they wanted to do with their lives (Pearl). Juliet did not feel she needed to get
married; she pursued her dream of being a writer before she did. Juliet broke free from
the tradition of marriage; she was not fond of the thought of marrying someone just to get
married. Juliet says, I dont want to be married just to be married. I cant think of
anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I cant talk to, or worse,
someone I cant be silent with (8). Juliet is not like most women. She is independent, she
has a plan laid out and marriage is the last thing in her mind. If Juliet had not pursued her
dreams as a writer and went straight to being a mother and a wife then she would not be
able to do what she loves most. She is capable of living her life without a man by her
side, but if she wants to get married, she wants to be loved for herself not for her beauty
and intellect. Just like the article My Hips, My Caderas by Alisa Valdes- Rodriguez,
So when I want to be loved for my body, I am Latina When I want to be loved for my

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mind, I flock to liberal intellectuals She did not just want someone to love her for her
big hips, yet for her mind and for who she is. Juliet broke free from the tradition to follow
her own dreams and live her life the way she wanted. Women had one role, which
restricted them to be what they want to be. Today, husbands are more supportive with
their wives pursuing their dreams and society is more accepting of women following their
dreams.
Society tells women what they should do but they always had the freedom to
make choices, they have their own free will. Hilary Bok, a philosopher at the Johns
Hopkins University defined free will as being capable of stepping back from ones
existing motivations and habits and making a reasoned decision among various
alternatives. Juliet and Elizabeth are daring women whom made brave choices, which
shaped them to be strong women. They did not feel the need to conform to the norm.
They werent just women that kept quiet and followed what everyone else did. They were
leaders that broke the social constructed norms of gender roles. Elizabeth broke out of the
line in the concentration camp to defend the girl being beaten. She knew the
consequences of her actions, but her braveness and how much she cared for others took
over, which caused her to fight and stand up for herself. Elizabeth had self-control; she
did things without anyone telling her what to do. Because Elizabeth took control of her
own actions, shows that women can be brave and strong. When Remy Giraud explained
Elizabeths death to the members of the book club, But I must tell you how Elizabeth
livedand how she held hard to her kindness and courage (181). Remy wanted
Elizabeths hard struggles and courage to be told, so she told them about her brave

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actions that caused her death. Because there are certain things in place that women are
restricted to, it is hard to go against it.
The problem of inequality in employment is one of the most vital issues in today's
society. The presence of women in the workforce have grown steadily and more than
ever, women can be felt in almost every aspect of the workplace. However, their positions
in society, no matter what class you look at, females have always been looked upon as
second-class citizen. In the past women were not encouraged to work real jobs, instead
they often stayed at home and were often labeled as housewives. Truth is women do work
they always have worked, but the work they do are often unpaid work. A Harvard
Business Review study from 2010 found that companies could and should go further in
treating men and women equally. The study showed that while companies say that they
treat men and women equallyin reality, they dont. Men continue to get paid more,
they are treated more respectfully, and often times men get leading jobs. Employers treat
male and female applicants differently, consciously or unconsciously preferring men for
male tradition jobs (England). Jobs that are designed for men like actuary, financial
analyst, financial engineer, administrator, you see women taking up these professions
today. While women are moving into the professions, they are stalled in the lower-paying
position. During WWII, men were busy in the war so women had to take on the work
force while they were gone. Women entered munitions factories worldwide in
unprecedented numbers; in their roles as housewives, they were forced to handle severe
controls, restrictions, and shortages as they struggled to feed and clothe their families
and, in many cases, substitute as family head while the husband was in uniform
(Campbell). Even then they were still paid minimum wage and still discriminated in the

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workforce. When men came back from the war, they saw women working, which was
such a huge change. Today women continue to change society and the world as they
become stronger and more independent.
A man that acts within his own gender role is praised, but a woman is forced to
stay within a certain barrier within her role. She has to be feminine but not too much,
sexual but not too much, and must have a career but also take care of the kids. Gender
roles in society have formed a socially constructed image of what each gender should and
is able to do. Today things have taken its turn and both genders are following tasks that
they werent meant to do fifty years ago. Women were called weak, submissive and
dependent. But now they are considered to be very brave, independent, and smart.
Women, in society, might be seen as weak and useless but can be resourceful and strong
just like society has formed the image of a muscular and dominant man. Women have
come such a long way. They were treated as a material possession rather than a human
being that could think and act for themselves and looked upon as a decorative member of
the household. Today women are stronger, wiser, and braver. They have shown people
that there is more opportunities in their life than just motherhood. Throughout history,
women have gained many rights and have gained respect for their sex. Women have
gained the right to vote, own property, opened their choices in occupations and have for
now measured up to men in equality. Women have come a long way through history and
have showed the world that feminism is and should be acceptable.

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Work Cited
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology
and Feminist Theory." Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and
Theatre. Ed. Sue-Ellen Case. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1990.
Campbell, D'ann. "Women in War." The Reader's Companion to Military History. Ed.
Robert Cowley and Geoffrey Parker. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996. General
OneFile. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
England, P. "Gender Inequality in Labor Markets: The Role of Motherhood and
Segregation." Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society
Pearl, Diana. "14 Things Women Couldn't Do in 1920." Marie Claire. N.p., 18 Aug.
2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Shaffer, Mary Ann and Annie Barrows. The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society. New York
Times. N.Y: Dial, 2008. Print.