40 debated, her own experience as a woman in a historically male-dominated career creates an honest background to Top Girls. A useful insight into her intentions for the play is provided by Elaine Aston who states that Churchill “was also becoming increasingly concerned about the dangers of bourgeois feminism” (2010: 38). This source is useful as it is based on Churchill’s personal commentary on a trip to America, in which Churchill described how she had spoken to women who were becoming successful in an individualistic way which conveyed a different attitude towards women’s careers than she had experienced in England. She stated of the comparison, “feminism tends to be much more connected with socialism and not so much to do with women succeeding on the sort of capitalist ladder” (Churchill, 1984). Churchill uses this idea of individualistic, “bourgeois feminism” to establish a connection between class and female gender identity. This pushes the audience to contemplate the overarching message of Top Girls, that gender equality cannot succeed alongside capitalism. Churchill uses the structure of Top Girls to convey a wide range of narratives which focus on female identities. In Act One, the audience is presented with stories from women throughout history who have had vastly different experiences from any of the characters whose narratives are set in the 1980s. In Act Two, the audience is shown the professional experiences of women through the lens of the ‘Top Girls’ employment agency. Finally in Act Three the audience gets an insight into the personal relationship between Marlene and Joyce. These rapid changes in narrative portray a plethora of female identities through different experiences and settings. The audience’s exposure to a wide variety of female identities highlights the divisions within the gender, showing that not every woman has the same life experiences. Churchill focuses not on the generalised view of women in the 1980s but instead explores the hierarchies within female existence, resulting in a more accurate, and thus, more successful depiction of female identity for the audience. The following paragraphs focus on the depiction of the main character of Marlene: Churchill subverts traditional gender roles through Marlene’s promotion to Managing Director of the ‘Top Girls’ company, replacing her male predecessor, Howard. Because England saw few women in high-status jobs in the 1980s, this would have been unusual to audiences of the time. Towards the end of Act Two Marlene is met with backlash from Howard’s wife, Mrs. Kidd, who looks down on her taking the promotion, saying, “what’s it going to do to him working for a woman?” Churchill uses Mrs. Kidd as a vehicle to underline more traditional views of gender identity, which would likely be present in some 1980s audiences. Marlene responds to Mrs. Kidd in a dismissive manner, saying that Howard will “have to get over it”, reinforcing the individualistic nature of her character. Aston presents an interesting question which links to this scene, asking “whether to read Marlene and the play as a celebration of women’s achievements or a critique of bourgeois feminism” (Aston 2010: 40). A contemporary feminist perspective wants
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