stereotyping women as clumsy is very dangerous, because it underestimates women’s ability and capability to do something. Society thinks that women are less capable by
judging and believing the stereotype that is already created in a patriarchal society.
g. Women are Stereotyped as Domestic
Patriarchal society places women in the inferior position. The society does not allow women to take part in the public sphere because they believe the place for
women is in the domestic area. It makes the society assume women have domestic stereotype where they consider women’s domain is in the home to do domestic works
and to take care of the family. Women do certain domestic works such as cleaning, vacuuming, washing and cooking. In the novel, domestic stereotyping becomes one
of the stereotypes that can be found in Beauty’s character. It can be seen in the datum below.
‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll be back long before then, fusspot. You two girls get the living room in spit-spot shape.
The caterers are arriving at eleven. OK, my darlings. Ready to show off our Happy Home?’ Wilson,
2016: 150
The dat um above maintains to say that Beauty’s father asks Beauty and her mother to
clean up the living room before the caterers come to their house. Beauty’s father asks them to clean the house to make sure the house looks neat and clean before the party
starts. It shows that Beauty’s father gives the burden of domestic works to women
characters those are Beauty and her mother. He does not share the burden in the domestic sphere with him. He thinks he is only responsible to gain money by working
outside the house. Therefore, Beauty receives domestic burden even though she is still a child.
The domestic stereotype that is experienced by Beauty does not only happen in her house, but also outside the house. When Beauty and her mother moves from
their house and live in Rabbit Cove, they are hired by Mike to take care of domestic courses such as making bed, cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming the carpet.
Mike seemed pleased when we all had breakfast together
– but Mum and I really came into our own when it came to making the beds and doing the
cleaning. We were used to living in a home where everything had to be pin-
neat perfect. I’d followed Mum around when I was a toddler, doing my own ‘dusting’ with a hankie and riding on the vacuum cleaner. Now I
could tackle housework properly myself. We worked together in each room, making beds, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming the carpet.
Wilson, 2016: 252-253
The above datum shows that Beauty used to do domestic courses since she was a toddler. She helps her mother clean the house before she moves to Rabbit Cove from
making the beds up to doing the cleaning. As a result, she becomes a young girl who is able to do all the domestic works by herself. Even though Beauty has moved to
Rabbit Cove, she is still labelled with domestic stereotype; she gets a job as a chambermaid in the cottage where she lives together with her mother.
Patriarchal society accepts the belief that the place for women is only in the house. Therefore, they will hire women to fill the positions in the domestic area to do
domestic works instead of hiring men. It discriminates women’s ability because they actually can do something more than that. Women can be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or
choose anything that they want to do if the society gives the same opportunity in all of the life aspects like they do to men.
B. Kinds of Struggle that Beauty does to fight against Patriarchal Society
Patriarchal society is the society where men dominate every aspects of life. Men have authority and power over women to control their lives. As a result, women
suffer from discrimination based on gender that is gender discrimination. Unequal treatment between men and women makes women suffer from different kinds of
gender discrimination. Gender discrimination prohibits women to be involved in any public activities, and limits their movements and roles in the society. Therefore, the
society does not respect the rights of women and puts women in the inferior position. This condition will continue to occur if women do not take action to stop it. The only
way to end gender discrimination is through the struggles of women, because women are the ones who feel and suffer from the discrimination. Women have power to do
certain forms of struggle to end unequal treatment that they have experienced. Beauty’s struggles against gender discrimination do not mean she fights
directly for equality for women. Beauty does not campaign or vocalize her ideas about gender discrimination in front of public. Her struggles against gender
discrimination mean that she fights against patriarchal society where she lives since this society limits her rights to do and to have everything she wants. Her struggles
show that even a female child can do something to fight against patriarchal society that discriminating her life. In the novel, there are three kinds of struggles that Beauty
