Gender

• Patriarchal society

  In a 1912 British society, men had more authority than women. This caused women to be viewed as weak and fragile. Priestley criticises this gender inequality by showing how women were controlled by their fathers, husbands, and male employers. A way the audience see him criticising the gender inequalities is by women defying the patriarchy and going against indoctrinated stereotypes.
• Women judged by sexual morality

  Women like Eva as there are “millions and millions of Eva Smiths”, were shamed and had very little choices. In the contrary, men had a wide variety of choices in society and were free to do as they wished, this is seen through characters like Eric. The double standard of society towards women are shown through Gerald’s affair and Mrs Birling’s dismissive attitude towards Eva. This exposes society’s hypocrisy.