"How is gender represented in 'The Godfather'?"

1. Women
- Vulnerable
- Women need protecting from
men
- Keeping their honourand
pride is important
- Can’t have sex before
marriage
- Women are put through pain
and must endure a lot, they
can’t choose as much as men
can.
- Women are courted
- ‘Beautiful, young & innocent’
– words that are pinnedon
women. It’s how they’re
mainly acknowledged,by their
looks.
- Mainlywear dresses – very
feminine appearances;
dresses are pink.
- Men dismiss women if they’re
not meant to be involved.
Maybe men feel like they
can’t deal with what men
must do.
- Most females are known for
gossiping together – can’t
have those kinds of
Men
- Men are abusive – use
violence to get wat they want
- Take on the dominantrole
- Men have more advantages –
sentences suspended
- Dress smart/prestigious –
wear suits
- Men have a protective role
- Money & power driven
- In the wedding men are
mainly sitting next to each
other
- Some men aren’t involved
with the family’s violentways
(Michael)
- Vito uses violence – slaps
JohnnyFontane and tells him
to act like a man but also tells
him to spend time with his
family. This shows the
contrast between how
masculine they act when it
comes to work and how
sensitive they are when it
comes to family. However,
brothers still treat their sisters
as if they’re inferior to them
- Always talking aboutbusiness
– shows how serious they are
"How is gender represented in 'The Godfather'?"
How men are presented vs how a woman is presented (Madonna – mother of God or a whore)

2. conversationswith their
husbands.
- Women are only used for
sexual needs – objectifies
them. This is shown in the
scene where Sonny takes a
mistress upstairs and has sex
with her during his sister’s
wedding. This could also state
that men can’t holdback their
sexual desires.
- Girls fanning over a male
singer shows how
empowering men are to
women
- A lot of the time they are
pushed aside
- Kay is shown as the
‘Madonna’type of woman
- Emotional – Connie is
mourning for her husband
- Kay allowsher husbandto
oppress her – stereotypical
- Kill to fix problems – can’t talk
it out because its seen as a
feminine trait.
- Don’t show emotionseither
- Use money and power to use
the police department for
their needs.
- Mainlymen are seen on the
streets, women would have to
stay at home and fulfil their
duties inside theirhomes.
- There are 2 types of men –
those who have it and those
who don’t.
- Power makes men behave
differently towards their loved
ones. Michaelbeing a main
example. At the beginningof
the movie he was very open
to Kay and let her know what
was going on in the family. At
the end when he oversaw the
family business, he wouldn’t
let her question him about his
business and his actions.