An Inspector Calls: Gender

“Men with important work to do”

• Implies women don’t have important work

• The norm for women in pre-war Britain

“spend nearly all their time and energy on their business”

Suggests men was typical provider of the household

“You’ll just have to get used to it, just as I had”

Reinforcing the gender roles onto Sheila

“left ‘em talking about clothes again”

Implies that their topic of conversation is simple

“Women are potty about ‘em”

• Suggests women are silly with their obsession with clothes

• Created through informal adjective, “potty”

• “Women are” suggest Eric thinks all women are the same

“But I don’t think it matters”

• Eric immediately opposes the command

• Suggests that Eric thinks women including her own mother has little authority

• Suggests women are secondary to men

• Suggests male characters may look down on female characters

“If possible - yes”

• Gerald admits to protecting women from disturbing things

• Displaying sexist attitude

• Gerald might consider women to be weak and fragile

• Acts in a stereotypical masculine way