In the fairy tale stories, we see a clear illustration of the traditional duties of women. For example, in the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the queen is seen to stay at home cooking and doing other household chores like knitting. Women are portrayed as obedient beings to their husbands and ought to listen to whatever they are told. Particularly, when Snow White found solace in the dwarf’s house, she accepted the task of cooking and cleaning the house for the dwarfs that show a man’s role in the story. On the other hand, in Jack and Beanstalk, a male child assumed the role of a man in the family. Jack provided for his mother by stealing the gold coins from the giant after selling their cow. He protected her mother by killing the giant that could have harmed her. The story Puss in Boots portrays men as superior beings in the society regardless of their economic status. The Booted Cat uses all the tricks and deceit to raise the power. Master Cat also employed various tricks to win the heart of the princess for marriage.
Hansel and Gretel is another story that portrays gender roles. In the story, Hansel tried to use various tricks to trace their way back home after being abandoned deep in the woods by their parents. He used pebbles and pieces of bread to lead her sister Gretel back home. The actions of Hansel show that it is the men who should protect the women in the society. The story of Beauty and the Beast illustrates that men have a responsibility of loving their wives. For instance, the Beast was punished by transformation into a monster for being arrogant to his wife. The ultimatum for him to become a prince again is by learning to love his woman. Hans Anderson wrote various fairy stories advocating for women in the society. His stories defined the roles of both male and female. The story of Oscar Wilde also portrays the gender role of a man in the community. Personally, despite being a writer, he catered for the family as a man.
In conclusion, the fairy stories majorly advocated for the gender roles in the society. Besides, some of the narratives tend to stipulate the role of both men and women.