This document summarizes gender roles and depictions of women and men in the film The Godfather. It notes that women are presented in limited, stereotypical ways such as wives, mothers, and objects, with little character development. They are expected to submit to men and are punished if they do not. Men are depicted as heads of households who deal with business matters and wield power over women, including through violence and abuse. The film portrays traditional gender hierarchies and strict separation of roles.

1. Women Men
- Women are separated into two groups:
the Madonna’s and the Whores
- Michael tells Kay ‘Don’t ask about (his)
business’
- Women are constantly told to look after
the children whilst the men take care of
the business
- Women are married off as property and
seen as commodities within each
family
- Women have less screen time and
lines than men, with little to no
character development
- Kay submits to Michael in the end, as
she ‘accepts’ that he had nothing to do
with Carlo’s death, and even if she
doesn't believe him, she doesn't
question it
- Women who do not bend or submit to
the will of men (such as Connie) are
punished
- Expected to be housewives- “Shut up
and set the table”
- Men are overprotective over their
sisters and mothers however they are
free to disrespect their wives, implying
that family is the most important thing
to the men and ‘love’ for their wives is
secondary
- Women are presented as vapid- all
they do is gossip and they are never
involved in the business and very little
of what they do holds any relevance to
the plot- men are always the ones that
make a difference
- Women are praised for being pure,
beautiful and virginal above all else
- Women (such as Sonny’s mistress) are
seen as objects for the men to vent
their sexual frustrations on
- Men are portrayed as ‘the head of the
household and women are expected to
submit to them wholly
- Men abuse their power and use
violence against women in order to get
what they want
- Men are to deal with the “business” and
women are told not to interfere
- The centre of men’s lives is their
business, not their wives and wives are
treated as second class citizens
- Luca Brasi praises Connie and Carlo’s
marriage by hoping that “their first child
will be a masculine child”, implying that
having a boy is the ideal scenario
(possibly as it enables the family to
extend their business)
- Men are forced to hide their emotions
as this is not seen as masculine
- Men are separated into “those who
have it” and “those who don’t have it”
- Sonny cheating on his wife is seen as a
casual occurrence, and Sonny is never
chastised for this
- There is a clear hierarchy amongst the
men in terms of the separation between
Americans and Italian immigrants
- The contrast between Vito Corleone
during his ‘public life’ (the opening
scene) and his ‘private life’ (when he is
playing with his grandson). This shows
how men are expected to maintain a
facade in order to keep their status
- Although Carlo cheats on and beats
Connie whilst she is pregnant, nobody
interferes as ‘what a man does with his
wife is his business’