Hi there, my name's Mr. Barnsley, and I'll be guiding you through the learning today.

I'm really excited you've decided to join me as we explore "An Inspector Calls" in some more detail.

I am gonna expect some prior knowledge of "An Inspector Calls" in today's lesson.

I want to make sure you know the plot, you know some of the characters.

We will be revisiting, revising some of the ideas, but we're gonna really be digging deeper today, so you are gonna have to come with some baseline knowledge.

You're also gonna need a copy of the play because you're gonna be looking for some evidence, so do make sure you have a copy of the text in front of you.

Today, we are gonna be exploring gender roles and expectations in the text and in society at the time it was written and the time it was set.

So lots of really juicy things to be discussing today.

I'm really excited to get started.

Thank you for joining me.

Let's go.

So, by the end of today's lesson, you are gonna be able to explain how gender expectations and stereotypes are represented in "An Inspector Calls." We have some keywords that we're gonna be keeping an eye out for and trying to use in our own work and discussions today.

The first you should have seen in the outcome, it is stereotype.

And this is a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like.

The next word is an adjective, futile.

And if something is futile, it means it's pointless, it's ineffective, it will not lead to any useful result or meaningful change.

The next is a verb, to enforce, and this means to make sure something is obeyed or carried out.

We often do this by applying rules, laws, or in asserting authority.

Gender roles.

This links to this idea of stereotype.

It's the stereotypical, the set idea, role, or behaviour that we consider to be appropriate or linked to a particular gender, so men or women.

And the final adjective, traditional, is the thinking, behaving, or doing of something that has been used by people for a long time.

We might see this as kind of like a synonym for old-fashioned, but it's something that has been done for a long time.

It is a tradition.

So there are three learning cycles in today's lesson.

At first, we're gonna be really getting our head around gender expectations and stereotypes, making sure we understand what they are.

We'll then be diving into some context before bringing this all together to consider Priestley, our author's, the playwright's purpose.

So let's start by identifying some gender expectations and stereotypes.

So, stereotypical gender roles refer to the idea that men and women are expected to behave in certain ways, and this is usually based solely on the fact that they are a man or a woman.

So let's look at some of these examples.

And as I read them to you, I want you to remember, these are not my thoughts, okay, 'cause I think you might disagree with some of the things that I'm saying.

So, some people argue that women are expected to be nurturing.

They're mothers, okay? They raise children.

Women are very emotional.

They're led by their emotions.

Women across time have been expected to be submissive, to follow the lead of men, their husbands, their fathers.

They've expected to be domestic, to stay at home, to run the house, to care for others.

They've often expected to be quite passive, not to have their own kind of thoughts.

Often, women have not been able to vote.

Whereas men are expected to be strong and dominant.

Their views, they are supposed to lead with their views.

Whilst women are emotional, men are unemotional, and therefore that makes them logical.

It allows them to be much more independent and therefore lead their wives.

Now, I hope when you were listening to that, you were saying, "Oh, Mr. Barnsley, that doesn't sound quite right to me.

I'm not sure I agree with you." And correct.

You know, we're not saying that stereotypical gender roles are a positive thing, but we are saying they are something that have existed throughout history and perhaps continue to exist in some places in society today.

So, I think we can definitely argue that gender stereotypes and expectations have existed in the past, but it's very much arguable that these ideas are still present in some sections of society today.

But we can definitely see some of this in "An Inspector Calls," so let's look at some examples together.

So, in act one, page three, if you're using the Heinemann copy, Mrs. Birling explains to Sheila that men have "important" work, that's a direct quote, "important," work to do.

And this takes up all of their "energy" and their "time." And she suggests that her daughter Sheila should just get used to it.

Later in act one, Mr. Birling, he suggests that clothes are very important to women.

It makes them "prettier," his words, and it's a sign of their "self-respect." Over to you for a bit of a discussion here.

How do you think these two examples from the beginning of "An Inspector Calls" really enforce these gender stereotypes, they kind of show that gender stereotypes were forced on people? So at the time that the play was set in 1912.

What do you think? Pause the video.

If you've got a partner, you can talk with them.

But don't worry if you're working by yourself, you can just think through this independently.

All right, pause the video, give this a go, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back.

I'm sure you had some fantastic ideas there, really linking the text to these expectations and stereotypes.

What I would like us to do then is to compare some of our ideas and discussions and thoughts we might have been having to some of the Oak pupils.

So let's start with Lucas, who said, "The word 'important,'" great, zooming in on one of the words from the text, "really reinforces this stereotype that men's work and men's ambitions are more important than women's.

This implies that women should accept this passive role, play a supporting role in a marriage, but ultimately be led by their husbands." What do you think? To what extent do you agree with this, and why? Can you use ideas from the text to support your understanding? Maybe you can use your understanding of societal expectations throughout history and in society today.

Pause the video, have a think and compare your ideas to Lucas, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

I'm sure you had some really great ideas there.

Let's compare these to another one of our Oak pupils then.

Sam said, "Mr Birling suggests that being 'prettier' is essential for a woman's self-worth, conforming to the stereotype that women's primary value, their main value, lies in their appearance.

And this then links women's 'self-respect' to how well they conform to societal expectations of beauty." So if they don't conform, then Mr. Birling is suggesting here that they shouldn't have or they don't have any self-respect.

"And this shows how women were judged much more for how they looked rather than their intelligence or their abilities or anything else they could contribute to society." What do you think? To what extent do you agree with this, and why? Again, use ideas from the text or your knowledge and understanding of societal expectations across history.

All right, pause the video and have a think, and press play when you're ready to continue.

All right, let's see how we're getting on so far in today's lesson.

True or false? Mr. and Mrs. Birling's viewpoints challenge gender stereotypes and expectations.

Do you think that's true or false? Pause the video, have a think, and remember to justify your answer.

All right, over to you.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

I hope you said false there.

That was of course false.

Why was it false? Well, arguably, Mr. And Mrs. Birling, they don't challenge gender stereotypes.

They reinforce these traditional gender stereotypes.

They expect men to work, and they expect women to prioritise their appearance and their role as the supporting member of a marriage.

So they're definitely not challenging, they are reinforcing these traditional gender stereotypes.

Well done if you got that correct.

Now, what I think's really interesting about "Inspector Calls" is this isn't just a play about the different gender roles, but I think what's really interesting is that we see an intersection, intersectionality, between gender roles and class, social class.

What do I mean by this? Well, I'm arguing that class plays an important role in how gender expectations are experienced.

What do I mean by that? Well, let's start by thinking about working-class women, like Eva Smith.

We know that she would be forced to take low-status jobs due to lack of alternative opportunities.

And as a result, she faces double the oppression.

Yes, she faces gender discrimination, like all women, but on top of this, she faces economic hardship.

So the way that she experiences being a woman is also influenced by her social class, her working-class roots.

Now let's compare this to an upper-class woman, like Mrs. Birling.

Yes, she does face gender discrimination.

We know she's confined to private and domestic spheres.

So, you know, she doesn't have the ability to go and do whatever job she wants, okay? There are expectations on her as a woman.

She does have limited independence.

However, her experiences of those limitations is vastly different to a woman like Eva Smith.

Her upper-class upbringing and experiences give her advantages in wealth and status.

And it means that yes, she might have to be very domesticated, but she doesn't have to take low-status jobs.

She still has opportunities.

So we have to be very, very, very careful when we're talking about the women in "An Inspector Calls" that we're not saying that all women's experiences are the same.

We're looking at that intersectionality between class and between gender and seeing that these two things create very specific experiences at the intersection.

So being working class and a woman creates a very specific experience at that intersection.

Likewise, being upper class and a woman creates a specific but different experience.

Okay, quite a lot of ideas there.

I want us to try and bring these all together in a discussion.

So two discussion questions for you.

Firstly, how does Sybil Birling, Mrs. Birling's, upper-class status protect her from the challenges faced by women like Eva? Second question, how does Eva's working-class position make her more vulnerable to exploitation and judgement ? So more vulnerable to people using her and judging her than, say, someone like Mrs. Birling, Sybil Birling.

All right, if you've got a partner, I'd like you to discuss with them, share your ideas with them.

But do not worry if you're working by yourself.

You can just take a moment to either jot down some ideas or just think through these questions independently.

All right, pause the video, give this a go, over to you.

Welcome back.

All right, as we've already done in this lesson, I'm sure you had some great ideas.

What I want you to do now is reflect on them and compare them to some of our Oak pupils.

So, Izzy said that "Sybil's wealth and status grant her influence, they grant her protection, and they grant her freedom from some of the hardships and prejudice faced by working-class women like Eva.

She is viewed as being more respectable, and therefore she's less vulnerable to social criticism." To what extent do you agree with this, and why? Pause the video, reflect, compare your ideas to Izzy's.

Do you agree with Izzy? What do you think? Press play when you're ready to continue.

Now let's compare our responses to Jacob's.

Jacob said that "Eva's poverty and social status leave her vulnerable and reliant on others.

She needs other people to survive.

This makes her much easier to exploit.

Now, as a working-class woman, this means she faces harsher judgement , it means she faces discrimination, and she gets much less support when she seeks help." Again, to what extent do you agree? Pause the video, reflect on the discussions or thoughts you've just had, and compare your ideas to Jacob's.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

True or false time now.

Priestley suggests that as a working-class woman, Eva is judged more harshly for her actions and circumstances.

What do you think, true or false? Pause the video, have a think, and remember to justify your answers.

Over to you.

Yes, of course, that is true.

How might we have justified that? Well, we could have said that Eva is judged more harshly because as a working-class woman, she has fewer opportunities for support.

This leaves her more vulnerable to exploitation, and therefore she's less able to escape difficult situations.

And this might mean she's found in more difficult situations, which leads to her being harshly judged.

Well done if you got that correct.

Okay, over to you then for our first task.

I want us to put all of our thinking together to create a fantastic summary of what we've been discussing so far.

On the screen, you can see four sentences that can help you complete this summary.

You can use these as much or as little as you would like, but I would like you to make sure you cover, one, kind of what have we learned about gender stereotypes? Two, what do we learn about Mr. and Mrs. Birling's attitudes? What do they tell us about men's roles and women's roles? And then in three and four, I want you to make sure you've got some sentences that show you understand the difference between how working-class and upper-class women experience gender expectations.

All right, over to you for this one.

I know you've got loads of great ideas that you can turn into a fantastic summary.

Pause the video and give it a go, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back.

I'm sure there was some great work going on there, bringing everything together.

Well done.

On the screen, you can see a model example of a summary.

This is just one way you could have used these sentences.

It's not the only right answer.

Let's look through this together, and as we go through it, you can be thinking about is it similar or different to the ideas that you had? So gender stereotypes in "An Inspector Calls" suggest that women were expected to be nurturing and submissive while men were expected to be assertive and dominant.

Mr. and Mrs. Birling's attitudes imply the idea that women should prioritise their appearance and support their husbands, while men are regarded as the primary figures of authority and decision-making.

Eva Smith's working-class position made her vulnerable because she had limited resources and opportunities, while Sybil Birling's upper-class status protected her because she had access to wealth, social influence, and security.

All right, why don't you pause the video, compare your summary to mine, and if you want to take any ideas, now's the time to do so.

Press play when you're ready to move on with the lesson.

Welcome back.

It's time for us to dive into some Edwardian and post-war context.

So, "An Inspector Calls" is set in 1912.

It was not written in 1912.

It was set in 1912.

And arguably, it reflects the much more traditional gender roles of the time where men and women had very clear expectations of them.

However, we don't want to overlook that 1912 was also a time of social change.

Here are some of the things that were happening at the time.

So the suffragette movement was in place, and this is where people were campaigning for women's rights to vote.

This challenged the traditional gender roles up until this point where women were supposed to be much more passive and then the men in society were supposed to make decisions for them.

We also saw growing labour movements and socialist ideas that were challenging social inequality.

So we've already talked about that intersection between social class, and we were seeing more people trying to kind of change these social inequalities.

Perhaps this was reflected in the Titanic disaster, which sunk on the evening of the 12th of April, 1912.

This really exposed some of the disparities between the upper and working classes because of course, many of the people who died in that disaster were the working classes who were on the lower decks on the boat.

Obviously, people from across both social classes died.

It's not to say that no one from the upper classes died.

But, you know, lots and lots of working-class people died in that disaster, and it really showed the disparities, the differences, between the two classes.

So, let's think about "An Inspector Calls" and let's think about how Priestley might be using this text to present ideas about social change and challenge.

Which characters might reflect this change and challenge to you? Pause the video, have a think.

Can you tie in those ideas we were just discussing to the play itself? Work in partners, work with a partner or individually, and press play when you're ready to continue.

Right, I'm sure you had some great ideas there.

I want you to hold onto those 'cause we're gonna pick them up in a moment's time.

But I wanna give you a little bit more context before we continue to develop our answers.

So, yes, the play was set in 1912, but Priestley wrote this in post-war Britain, okay, so after the Second World War.

And this was a time where gender roles were definitely challenged, were changing.

That's because the war itself challenged traditional roles because as men went off to fight, there were lots of their jobs that were left for women to do, and they took on these roles while men were fighting.

Obviously, when men returned, there started to be these questions about, well, why should it just be the men doing these roles? The women have proven they can do them.

And this really started to challenge those rigid gender and societal norms. So, we know that Priestley's audience at the time of writing, they were living through these changes, they were experiencing them.

So his play has been designed to reflect those shifting views on gender in post-war Britain.

So, again, let's go back to that question.

Which characters in "An Inspector Calls" might be considered as reflecting these changing attitudes? Is this the same as what you were just discussing, or are you gonna use this to develop your answers further? Or might you focus on different characters here? Over to you, think in pairs or by yourself, and press play when you're ready to move on.

Okay, I'm sure you were having great discussions or great independent ideas there.

I want you to think about two of our Oak pupils who've been having the same discussion and think about who you agree with most and why.

So Aisha said that she will focus on the character of Sheila.

She said, "Initially, she's very naive and she's very traditional, but by the end of the play, she challenges her family's views, and that reflects this shift towards more progressive attitudes." Whereas Sofia said that she thinks Eva Smith is a really pivotal character because she "represents women who were trying to break free from societal expectations.

However, her story shows the struggles that particularly working-class women faced in a changing society." It was much harder for them to break through these societal expectations.

Over to you, why don't you pause, reflect on the discussions you've had or the thoughts that you've had, and think, who do you agree with more, Aisha or Sofia? Over to you.

Right, let's check to see how we are getting on.

Which of the following best reflects the changing attitudes toward gender roles in "An Inspector Calls"? Is it A, Mr. Birling's rigid support of traditional views? Is it B, Sheila's growing awareness of social responsibility and questioning of her family's views? Is it C, Eva Smith's conformity to social expectations? Or is it D, Mrs. Birling's refusal to accept responsibility? Pause the video, have a think, and press play when you think you've got the answer.

Yes, well done if you said B, Sheila's growing awareness of societal responsibility and the role she should play in that and questioning her family's views all shows this changing attitude.

I think A and D really highlight that not everyone was willing to change their attitude, particularly in this story, the older generations.

C's an interesting one because we could say, we could argue that Eva Smith is being forced to conform to societal expectations.

She doesn't want to, but these things are still being forced onto her because actually, attitudes towards gender and attitudes towards women aren't changing quick enough, and Eva is a victim of that.

So well done if you said B.

All right, onto our second task.

Two bits of information I want you to consider.

We're thinking about Sheila and Eva.

I want us to think about the fact that Sheila is initially presented as a very playful and dependent young woman but begins to challenge her parents' authority as the play progresses.

I also want you to keep in mind that Eva Smith is portrayed as a working-class woman who suffers due to her gender and her class.

And she's dismissed from jobs, and she's exploited by men.

Discussion time, in pairs if you've got a partner or just think through this, make some notes by yourself if you're working at home.

One, what do you think Priestley might be telling us about gender roles and expectations in society through the portrayal of Sheila and Eva Smith? And how do you think the context of 1912, when the play is set, and 1945, when it was written, influences his message? Over to you.

Let's bring all of our ideas together and show me what you've understood so far.

Pause the video, give it a go, and press play when you're ready to move on.

Welcome back.

I'm sure you did a really great job there of bringing in, bringing, piecing together all of the information that we've discussed so far.

Let's take a moment to reflect on those discussions by comparing some of our ideas to those of Jacob, one of our Oak pupils.

Think, do you agree with what Jacob said, and to what extent? So Jacob said that "Priestley could be presenting how women are often controlled by society.

Sheila challenges these roles, while Eva suffers because of them, highlighting the inequality and exploitation based on gender.

And in 1912, gender roles were more traditional, but by 1945, society was changing.

Arguably, Priestley uses the time periods to show how progress is possible, encouraging his audience to question outdated gender expectations.

However, he also reveals that things won't change unless people, and especially those in power, challenge their beliefs." All right, pause the video now, reflect on the discussions you had.

Are they similar, different to Jacob? Do you agree with him? Do you disagree with him? And if you like any of his ideas, why don't you make a note of them? All right, press play when you're ready to move on to the final part of today's lesson.

Okay, welcome back.

We were starting to do a little bit of this now, but we are now gonna bring everything together and start tying this to Priestley's purpose.

So, I want you to think about the end of "An Inspector Calls." Which word, if you could only pick one word that you can see on the screen, which word do you think best describes Priestley's tone, and why? You'll see that word in bold there, futile, you'll remember this is one of our keywords, when something feels kind of pointless.

All right, pick one of those words and decide which one do you think best describes Priestley's tone by the end of "An Inspector Calls"? Work with a partner, think through by yourself, press play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, some of our Oak pupils were doing the same task.

Let's have a look at what they said.

So Aisha said, "Priestley's tone is critical," she chose that adjective critical, "because it highlights how women like Eva Smith suffer due to their gender and class, pointing out how unfair and damaging society's treatment of women is." So, kind of Eva suffers doubly, and she has less resources to fight against kind of these gender roles because of the intersection between gender and class.

Jun said, "Priestley is hopeful.

Characters like Sheila and her brother, Eric, challenge their parents' views, and this suggests that society can change and we can challenge societal conventions, like those around gender." Sofia says, "The ending feels futile, pointless.

Despite the Inspector's efforts, the characters don't change.

Certainly the older characters don't change, and it suggests that society will keep repeating its mistakes, especially regarding gender and class." And we see that kind of characters like Eva and working-class women are disproportionately affected when change does not happen.

Okay, who do you agree with most, and why? Why don't you compare these ideas to the thoughts that you were having? Do this in pairs or by yourself.

Pause the video and press play when you're ready to continue.

All right, let's check how we're getting on.

True or false? Let's read this carefully.

Priestley's tone could be described as hopeful, suggesting society can change.

Is that true or false? Remember to justify your thinking.

Pause the video and have a think, and press play when you think you've got the answer.

Welcome back.

I hope you spotted the tentative language "could" in there.

So this should be true.

You might not agree with it.

You might say, "Mr. Barnsley, I do not think this is a hopeful ending." However, we're saying, could it be argued as that? And yes, I think it can.

Why? Well, because Sheila and Eric are two characters that challenge their parents' outdated and traditional views.

And this suggests that younger generations can continue to reject societal conventions and they can push for change.

They can push for changes around gender stereotypes and expectations.

They can push for change around social class stereotypes and expectations.

So yes, you might not agree it's hopeful, but I think we can argue that some people may find the ending of this play hopeful.

Right, our final task then, and we're gonna need our copies of the play at the ready 'cause we are gonna become detectives and find some evidence from the text.

Three of my Oak pupils have made some statements, and I want you to help them prove they're true.

You're gonna be mainly looking for evidence from the end of the text, although you may wish to find some quotations from earlier on as well.

So Alex argues that "Priestley shows how characters like Mrs. Birling resist change, suggesting that not everyone is ready to challenge outdated gender roles, even in a changing society." Izzy argues that "Sheila's growth offers hope, but Priestley implies that real change requires everyone, especially those in power, to shift their attitudes." Whereas Laura is gonna argue that "Eva Smith's fate highlights gender and class inequality, suggesting that while progress is possible, it's not certain, and many will continue to suffer." Over to you, texts open.

See if you can find some evidence to support these arguments.

Pause the video and give it a go, and press play when you're done.

Okay, welcome back.

I love, love tasks like this.

I love using the text as evidence.

We know whenever we create arguments, we always want to support these, our viewpoints, with textual evidence.

So, let's have a look at what our Oak pupils did.

You can compare this to the evidence you find.

Of course, there's always kind of different textual evidence we could use.

There's never just one right answer.

So Alex said, "Mrs. Birling's refusal to accept responsibility, saying she did nothing to be 'ashamed of,' shows her resistance to change and adherence to traditional views on gender and class." Izzy argues that "Sheila's development is evident when she acknowledges that thinking is not enough.

She states that she needs to 'do,' that verb 'do,' more, demonstrating her willingness to change and the need for broader societal transformation." Laura argues that "Eva Smith's tragic end is reflected in her death," which is described as a result of a chain of events, symbolising how gender and class inequality leads to irreversible consequences for vulnerable individuals." What I'd like you to do now is take a moment to pause, reflect on what you can see on screen, decide which you consider to be the most impactful argument, and see if there's any evidence that you want to take there and add to your own.

All right, pause the video, take a moment to reflect, and press play when you are ready to continue.

Okay, that is it.

We have reached the end of today's lesson, and what a fantastic job that you have done.

It's been such a pleasure learning alongside you.

On the screen, you can see a summary of everything that we've covered so far.

Let's quickly go through this so you can feel really confident before you move on to your next lesson.

We've learned that gender stereotypes and expectations have always existed in society, and continue to exist, and they impact the way that we perceive ourselves and others.

We know that gender and class are inextricably linked.

There is an intersection, and they impact the lives and experiences of people differently.

So we cannot say that all women and all expectations of women is exactly the same.

Gender roles were more traditionally defined in Edwardian society when the play was set.

However, we know Priestley was writing in post-war Britain, which was a time of change and traditional expectations of gender roles were being challenged.

Now, the ending of Priestley's text, well, that is personal to you, but some people may argue it's hopeful that some characters are challenging views.

Others may argue it's futile and it suggests that society will continue to repeat its mistakes.

What do you think? That's up to you.

Great work today.

I hope to see you in one of our lessons again soon.

I've been Mr. Barnsley.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Bye-bye.