The first aspect of the female stereotype found in the stories as well as reality is the female character. Women are generally seen as fragile individuals. Society believes that a woman has no self-confidence and needs support from some external element. This characteristic is found in "A Story for Children" where the mother has to go to a magazine to "[seek] courage and conformation that she was on the right track in life" (Jakobsdottir 527).

In "The Office," the women's fragile character is suggested by Mr. Malley. He says that he is happy that his wife didn't see the obscene comments that were written in the washroom because it "upsets

The last stereotypical aspect of the female character found in the stories is the fact that women a simple and inferior compared to men. The stereotype that women are relatively simple is reinforced in "A Story for Children." The label is displayed through the event where the children take mama's brain. Even without her brain, "it hadn't become a bit more difficult for her to do housework" (Jakobsdottir 529). The fact that she can still do her routine without her brain indicates that women live a simple life and therefore are simple in nature. Jakobsdottir is saying that the stereotypical women's life or responsibilities are so simple that they can be done without an intellect.

The female stereotype also expects women to have no life other than house work and therefore are assumed to have no identity. In "A Story for Children", she is called "Mama" throughout the story, which perfectly demonstrates how a woman (mother/wife) is seen by society as not having a definite identity. Women, according to the typical label created by the public, are part of the house. They are expected to focus so much on the home and the chores within the house that they are considered to be the house. Munro states in her story (according to society) that the narrator "is the house; there is no separation possible" (Munro 916). She is fused with the house and they are considered one concept in the eyes of a stereotypical world.

The stereotypical woman is also expected to take care of the children. In "A Story for Children," mama is " swamped with work ... caring for the children" (Jakobsdottir 528). No matter how busy a woman is, the children are her responsibility. The stereotype consists of the mother having no life of her own, but involves the woman living her life through the life of the children. It is clearly said in "The Office" that a woman "staring into space, into a country that is not her husband's or her children's is likely known to be an offense against nature" (Munro 916). Therefore, women are predisposed to focus totally on their children and f

Some common words found in the essay are:
Story Children, Munro's Office, Office Munro, Jakobsdotter Munro, Children Office, story children, female stereotype, taking care, , stereotype women, munro 916, munro 918, care children, house considered, house chores, stereotype inferior women, taking care children, children story children, inferior women, house considered house, story children mama,
Approximate Word count = 1397
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)