Feminism is the “belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men” (Gustafson). Many inspiring feminists have “challenged traditional gender roles and called for greater opportunities for women throughout history” (Gustafson). In 1920, women finally gained the right to vote in the United States after a long struggle against this particular injustice. After winning this opportunity, feminists began to focus on more social issues, such as the fact that they had fewer rights in the workplace and lower social status than men. Sandra Cisneros was one such woman who addressed gender roles in her writing, using her experiences as a Mexican-American woman. Sandra Cisneros' short stories “Woman Hollering Creek” and “Barbie-Q” show Cisneros' experiences with poverty and sexism through the voices of female characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Sandra Cisneros is a Mexican-American “novelist, poet, and short story writer” (Saltzman). She was born on December 20, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. In her books and short stories she combines "feminism with her Mexican-American heritage, creating a dialogue on topics such as ethnic prejudice, poverty, and gender roles" (Saltzman). The female characters in her stories are "often torn between asserting their feminist feelings and following traditional, male-dominated Mexican cultural attitudes" (Saltzman). Sandra Cisneros' portrayals of the female characters in her stories are typical of the setting's time period because her female characters battled societal expectations, poverty, and rampant sexism in her stories. Women were expected to be perfect in society as they fulfilled their roles as mother, homemaker. and wife. Society had very different opinions about men and women during this time period. Men were expected to have “morality, honesty and professional success” (Parker). Their role was to work and provide for the family. Women were expected to be “physically attractive, nurturing, and empathetic” (Parker). They had to take care of the children and stay at home. Women should also provide for their husbands. The girls in the story "Barbie-Q" are very excited about the dolls they find at a flea market, which have been burned in a warehouse fire and are for sale. An example of their happiness with these dolls would be when a girl says "If you dress her up in her new "Prom Pinks" dress, satin splendor with matching coat, gold belt, clutch bag and hair bow included, as long as you don't face. don't lift her dress, right? – who knows” (Cisneros 2). This line shows how appearances can hide disappointment, just like in “Woman Hollering Creek” where Cleófilas hides her dissatisfaction with her life by keeping herself busy. to wash dishes and take care of your home. The second example would be “What if our Barbies smell like smoke when you hold them to your nose even after you wash them and wash them” (Cisneros 2). Q” demonstrates how little girls accepted that their dolls smelled of smoke because they had little due to poverty. Another example of accepting a bad situation in Cisneros' writings occurs in "Woman Hollering Creek", when Cleófilas accepts the flaws of. her husband because she thinks she has to settle for him because of his view that love is pain and therefore she has to settle for an unhappy marriage. Mexican-American women were despised by menin their culture and regarded as having no place in politics or conversations. Women faced many problems such as “sexism, racism and class barriers” (Orozco). While men were “advanced in electoral politics” (Orozco). Most women “immigrated from Mexico to Texas” (Orozco). Their lives revolved around “the domestic sphere, in which they grew and prepared food, made and washed clothes, and raised children” (Orozco). They were treated very differently, a point Cisneros raises often in her stories, especially when Cleófilas dines with her husband in "Woman Hollering Creek" and relies on him to tell her when to talk and laugh. Cleófilas is a young Mexican woman who marries and endures her husband's abuse. Her husband beats her for no reason. Cleófilas states that “No, he won't talk about it. She promises. If the doctor asks if she could say she fell down the front steps or slipped while she was out in the yard, slipped out back, she could tell him” (Cisneros 226). The quote shows how her husband was abusing her and she is so used to his abuse that she lied about it to hide it. Her husband also doesn't care about Cleófilas' health and she claims that "he has to go, so he can make sure the new baby is okay, so there won't be any problems when he is born, and the appointment card says after Tuesday" (Cisneros 226) .The quote shows how she had to depend on her husband to take her baby to the hospital. She couldn't take the baby by herself without any problems. She relies on her husband to take her because men are more dominant in their culture story, Cleófilas is shocked when Felice screams as they cross La Gritona because she is not used to women asserting themselves or making noise in her culture. Many Mexican-American women have struggled with poverty in their culture. Poverty is described as “lack of sufficient income and resources to live adequately according to community standards” (Allard). Poverty causes “suffering, malnutrition, poor health and loss of life” (Allard). It is said that “inadequate food, medical care and education reduce the economic and social contribution of poor individuals” (Allard). Many people around the world struggle with poverty, including Mexican-American women. In “Woman Hollering Creek,” Cleófilas and her husband struggle with poverty throughout the story. They struggle to pay the bills and take care of the child. Cleófilas knows that “it's hard to save with all the bills they have, but how else are they going to get out of debt with truck payments” (Cisneros 226). The quote shows how they don't have much money and are in debt. Another example would be "and his requests to fix this and this and this because if he had any brains in his head he would realize that he got up before the cock making a living to pay for the food in his belly and the roof over her" head” (Cisneros 223). Cleófilas makes extra effort to fix up their house, while her husband doesn't care about her efforts to make their house more beautiful. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayIn In conclusion, many feminists have challenged traditional gender roles and called for greater opportunities for women throughout history. Sandra Cisneros, an award-winning writer and social critic, addresses gender roles in her writing, using her experiences as a Mexican-American woman. Sandra Cisneros' portrayal of female characters in her stories is typical of the time period of the setting because women were expected to be perfect wives and mothers in the.