What are some gender prejudices in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, gender prejudices are reflected in the Southern town of Maycomb. The novel's protagonist, Scout, is a "tomboy" who is continually chastised for playing with the boys and wearing overalls. Her Aunt Alexandra views Scout with contempt for her unladylike disposition. Two gender prejudices that affect Scout deal with attire and being active. Scout mentions that her Aunt told her,

"I could not possibly hope to...

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, gender prejudices are reflected in the Southern town of Maycomb. The novel's protagonist, Scout, is a "tomboy" who is continually chastised for playing with the boys and wearing overalls. Her Aunt Alexandra views Scout with contempt for her unladylike disposition. Two gender prejudices that affect Scout deal with attire and being active. Scout mentions that her Aunt told her,

"I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants" (Lee 108).

According to Aunt Alexandra, being a female meant that she had to wear a dress and could not be active and play outside. Scout goes on to say,

"Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life" (Lee 108).

Alexandra encourages another gender prejudice, which is that females should remain inside and be able to do housework that involves cooking and cleaning.

Alexandra's views correlate with traditional Antebellum gender roles. Other gender prejudices found in the novel deal with parenting and feminine interests. The reason Alexandra moves into Atticus' home is because they believe that Scout should have a strong feminine role model. Despite being an excellent father, their society feels that a daughter cannot be raised solely by a man. Also, female interests are generalized into two categories, clothes and boys. Alexandra says,

“We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence. It won’t be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys—”(Lee 170).