The counterstory in the movie, “Little Women,” and how it challenges what women have to be

 

    Society continues to pressure women to follow a certain path to be considered successful in life, forcing them to swallow their dreams to assimilate to the social norms. The YouTube video, “Women Following Dreams | Why Most Give Up,” Why women give up on dreams  talks about women’s goals and why women give up on what they want to pursue; one of the reasons being that they lack support from people around them (2:51). In connection with women’s aspirations, the article Gender Roles and Social Structures, talks about how the goals of women are shaped in their childhood, influenced by gender socialization from parents, school, and media. Women's goals are influenced from gender norms

These pieces that talk about women’s aspirations, relate to the movie, “Little Women,” released in 2019. This coming of age movie, is about four March sisters who transition from childhood to womanhood; capturing their dreams and aspirations set during the 19th century. During this time, it was encouraged for women to settle down and raise a family, but Jo March, who is the main character and the second oldest amongst the sisters, aspired to be a writer. When the oldest sister, Meg March told Jo she would be getting married, Jo begged her to stay by saying she’d do anything from cooking to washing the dishes, so that Meg would not get married. Then, urged Meg to pursue a career up on the stage as an actress because Jo wanted them to stay “interesting forever.” Meg responded by saying, “Just because my dreams are different than yours does not mean they are unimportant.” 

While Meg said this in response to Jo, it strongly connects to women back then and now, challenging the stereotype that women either have to get married or be a working woman to stay relevant to society. This shows that everyone has different takes on life, but all dreams are equally important and one does not undermine the other. 

In real life, this movie relates to the actress Emma Watson, who played the role of the eldest sister Meg March. On Jay Shetty Podcast on YouTube, starring Emma Watson released in September 2025, Watson was asked why she’s not married yet with kids. She then states that women are pressured into marriage and she does not feel entitled to following that path. She then says women are made to feel like they have not succeeded in life unless they conform to the norms that society creates. (Jay Shetty Podcast, 01:32:05). Emma Watson's thoughts on marriage

This shows that women are pressured into choosing certain paths by the social norms society built, but teaches us to uplift and support women’s ambitions in life, because there is no “correct” or good answer in how women choose to live their life. Therefore, the movie, “Little Women,” challenges the norm that women have to be set on a certain path to be “successful” and remembered by society, when success in women's lives can be defined in various ways from motherhood, being a working woman at a 9-5, or a celebrity.