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GCSE English Literature · key term
Different standards applied to comparable behaviour by different groups, such as excusing men’s sexual behaviour while condemning women’s.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas
Paper 1, Paper 2
An unequal judgement in which comparable behaviour is treated differently according to a person’s gender or other social position.
Applying different standards to comparable behaviour, such as excusing men’s sexual conduct while condemning women’s.
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Paper 1
Revise: GenderA double standard means applying different rules to comparable behaviour by different groups. After Sheila returns Gerald’s ring in Act Two, Birling begins to excuse Gerald: “But you must understand that a lot of young men —”. He treats Gerald’s behaviour as something Sheila should accommodate because it is common among young men.
Component 1, Component 2
An unfair difference in how similar behaviour is judged in different groups, such as condemning women’s sexual infidelity while excusing men’s.
Revise: EmiliaThis challenges a sexual double standard. If men explain their own infidelity through pleasure, affection or weakness, Emilia asks why the same explanations should be denied to women. Her demand for fair treatment challenges the expectation that wives must submit while husbands escape equivalent scrutiny.
An unequal rule or judgement applied to different people, such as accepting a man’s sexual behaviour while condemning a woman’s.
A situation in which similar behaviour is judged differently for different groups, such as accepting men's sexual freedom while condemning women's.
Applying different standards to comparable behaviour by different people or groups.
An unequal rule or expectation applied differently to comparable behaviour by different groups, such as men and women.
