Bigotry in the Potterverse

[moosiemlo]

No: HPFGUIDX 188084


The Potter books are strangely male-centric and reinforce, to
me, a notion of male supremacy.

Lynda:

I don't really see this. They are of course written about a male and his adventures in and out of school, his growing up, that is and are therefore going to center on him, a male. There are, however plenty of examples of women and women who are not only in traditionally female roles but women who run businesses on their own (apparently) Madame Rosmerta, women in highly dangerous occupations: Tonks, the women's quidditch team, women who choose not to marry for reasons of their own and make a life that is not traditional in that sense, and women who are extremely influential within their own spheres of influence, as in Madame Maxine, Professor Umbridge (let's face is she had a degree of influence at the ministry. . .and Professor McGonagall. A fairly even balance, really. I know that some will say that the books are biased and show women in only traditional roles, but I argue that this simply isn't true, at least no more true than is evidenced by society. Most women that I know, or hear of have families, jobs that are more or less traditional for women (although also for men). Teachers, nurses, service workers of some type. Many of them are highly qualified at the careers they have chosen, as I am and would be insulted to learn that there are some who think they are simply fulfilling a stereotype. Most of them (us) are happy with our life choices and our jobs and families and if we are working are simply right now happy to be employed. Perhaps JKR was attempting to show nothing more than a similarity in the world of her books.

Lynda