The Gendered Body: Marriage and “A Home of My Own”

This chapter explores the effect that Girton College had upon Gwyneth’s changing views regarding the need for reforming gender relations within British society. Although a committed suffragist, Gwyneth shared the perspective of many of her contemporaries that gender equality could also be achieved within marriage, especially as female sexuality was increasingly valorized as an expression of feminism. The confidence that Gwyneth acquired after achieving a First in the Cambridge Maths Tripos, however, played havoc in their relationship, igniting a storm of gender conflict which eventually resulted in a gender reversal, in which Harry perceived himself to be the “feminine” partner as Gwyneth increasingly inhabited the “masculine” role.