In the past women had to endure a lot of expectations placed on them by society. A society usually run by men that had almost impossible expectations. The passage about fear by Laura Franks from “Components of Gender”, proves that she is someone who doesn’t play by gender games. I think it  that means she doesn’t believe in the things that society wants her to believe in as a women. To study for jobs/ careers that don’t surpass men, to live for marriage, and to have the end goal to be a housewife. That has to do with fear, because in world/time like this women didn’t have many life choices. And in the eyes of men, they had complete power and say of a women’s life. For example in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, the main character Esther goes through a similar situation where she experiences fear and discomfort when she does not perform the gender role that is expected of her by society. Such as when she hung out with a young navy boy, and she thought saw Buddy’s mother. She did not want to appear like a promiscuous women, so she started to act like the young man was mistreating her (ch.10 pg 128). Esther felt uncomfortable when she felt she got caught with the navy man. Although when she was with the navy boy she felt society’s pressure to see the possibility of marriage and children with the man. Esther does not usually perform outside her gender role, and when she does it’s little things like a lot of eating, a lot of alcohol drinking, lack of make-up, and casual attire. Women throughout history have had to deal with so much pressure, specifically to marry and stay at home. To be “allowed” an education but couldn’t pursue careers without looking like a failure in the eyes of society for not choosing a life with a husband, house and kids. Fear, is what used to suppress women. Fear, is what kept them from thinking they had more choices and they could choose more than one.