The effects of gender roles and social class on one's identity

The patriarchal and consumerist society constructs gender and class roles for its members to assume and behave accordingly. One's economic situation and assumed gender role play a major part in forming and shaping one's identity. Men and women are expected to behave within the norms and definitions of their given gender roles along with their economic situations. If they do not behave accordingly to these socially constructed roles, they are not accepted by society, and thus, become outcasts. This study aims to demonstrate the effects of these constructed roles of gender and class upon the individual from a feminist and Marxist-feminist perspective through the analysis of the characters in the novels, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood. It is indicated from all three novels that these constructed roles of society put a great amount of pressure upon the individuals, especially on women, and prevent them from discovering and realising their own authentic identities. Moreover, these constructed roles create conflicts in one's psyche, even lead to mental problems. Keywords: Gender Roles, Feminism, Identity, Economic Situation, Patriarchy, Consumerism, Social Constructs