The Roles of Women in Countrywomen by Katherine Mansfield

These be two

Countrywomen.

What a size!

Grand big arms

5And round red faces;

Big substantial

Sit-down-places;

Great big bosoms firm as cheese

Bursting through their country jackets;

10Wide big laps

And sturdy knees;

Hands outspread,

Round and rosy,

Hands to hold

A country posy

Or a baby or a lamb--

And such eyes!

Stupid, shifty, small and sly 

Peeping through a slit of sty,

Squinting  through their neighbours' plackets.

The roles of women that are described in the text were only inside the family home and only to take care of household affairs especially in agriculture since they live in country. This roles can be seen through Mansfield's description about the physical appearance of the country women. Mansfiled describe country women as women who have strong and sturdy looks. The strong look of country women was possible since they worked hard in the farm. She also describes country women as uneducated persons that can be depicted through the eyes of country women. It can be found in line 18, “Stupid, shifty, small and sly”. The common roles of women at that time were should stay at home and look after their husbands. This stereotype is shown in Mansfield's poem. Not many women in that time can get proper education especially for women who came from lower-working class and the underclass. For women who came from upper class, they might receive a general education consisting of reading, writing, and arthmitic even though women were not yet allowed to attend college. In such cases, a woman might decide to take a position as a governess or a lady’s companion. The culture of the time meant that very few women were skilled in any obvious profession and, therefore, there were few jobs that paid well for women during the nineteenth century. Due to the reasons, women were usually employed in domestic service. This condition of women can be found in the poem since Mansfield describes women as having strong and sturdy looks because of their works in agriculture. Woman at that time were also stereotyped as only an 'accessories' for her husband. It can be found in the line “round and rosy, hands to hold, a country posy”. Women in the poem were also described as having stupid staring since they were not well educated.