Exploring intersectionality of women’s mental health and gender norms in literature

Abstract

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of Intersectionality discusses how different aspects of a person's identity, such as race and gender, intersect and influence a person’s experience of discrimination. This study explores the intersectionality of gender norms and women’s mental health through an in-depth analysis of three literary works: Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) by Jean Rhys, The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath and A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) a play by Tennessee Williams. These three books were selected to analyse how female characters in literature deal with the social complexities that create diverse impacts on their mental health. Kate Millett’s concept of sexual politics and the social construction theory by Simone de Beauvoir from her book The Second Sex is used to discuss the female protagonists’ sufferings caused by social gender norms and examine how these women as dynamic multifaceted individuals, continuously challenge cultural perceptions.