BREAKING GENDER STEREOTYPES: WOMEN AND WORK IN THE FILM THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show that women are physically capable of performing (and free to perform) any task or work and pursue any career path in life. Guided by Amazon Feminist film theory, the article rejects the notion that work should be gendered. The argument made here is that if women are to be truly liberated, they must be at the centre of their own emancipation. They should be able to decide and pursue their dreams or career paths in life, without fear, without allowing men to decide for them what work they ought to do. In respect of world views, male frames usually exploit women by assigning subordinate roles or jobs to them. Furthermore, they discriminate against women based on the assumption or stereotype that they are passive, weak and physically helpless. To demonstrate the role films play in liberating or providing alternative images of women, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (2008), directed by Anthony Minghella, is used as an example.