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1709367PublishedVol 8 · Issue 12

The Role of Women in Jane Austen?s Novels: A Study of Gender, Society, and Agency

Dr. Shahana Makhdoom

Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities  ·  Area of research: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV8I12-1709367

Abstract

Jane Austen, one of the most influential novelists of the 19th century, used her fiction to explore the complex roles and limitations of women in Regency England. Her novels present a nuanced critique of gender roles, social mobility, marriage, and education, revealing the challenges women faced in a patriarchal society. This paper examines the portrayal of women in Austen?s major works like Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion and to analyze how Austen both reflects and challenges the societal expectations of women in her time.

Keywords

Jane Austen, Women in literature, Gender roles, Female agency, Moral authority, Intellectual equality, Feminism in fiction.

How to cite this paper

Dr. Shahana Makhdoom "The Role of Women in Jane Austen?s Novels: A Study of Gender, Society, and Agency" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 8 Issue 12 2025 Page 1577-1586 https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV8I12-1709367
Dr. Shahana Makhdoom "The Role of Women in Jane Austen?s Novels: A Study of Gender, Society, and Agency" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 8, no. 12, Jun. 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV8I12-1709367
Dr. Shahana Makhdoom (2025). The Role of Women in Jane Austen?s Novels: A Study of Gender, Society, and Agency. Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 8(12). doi: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV8I12-1709367
Dr. Shahana Makhdoom "The Role of Women in Jane Austen?s Novels: A Study of Gender, Society, and Agency" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 8, no. 12, Jun. 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV8I12-1709367
@article{1709367,
      author = {Dr. Shahana Makhdoom},
      title = {The Role of Women in Jane Austen?s Novels: A Study of Gender, Society, and Agency},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2025},
      volume = {8},
      number = {12},
      pages = {1577-1586},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1709367.pdf},
      abstract = {Jane Austen, one of the most influential novelists of the 19th century, used her fiction to explore the complex roles and limitations of women in Regency England. Her novels present a nuanced critique of gender roles, social mobility, marriage, and education, revealing the challenges women faced in a patriarchal society. This paper examines the portrayal of women in Austen?s major works like Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion and to analyze how Austen both reflects and challenges the societal expectations of women in her time.},
      keywords = {Jane Austen, Women in literature, Gender roles, Female agency, Moral authority, Intellectual equality, Feminism in fiction.},
      month = {June},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV8I12-1709367}
  }