How does Carol Churchill explore the attitudes of women to work in Top girls ?

In Act Two we first experience Marlene in a working environment and we begin to get a feel of Marlene’s true character. Act Two scene one concentrates on Jeanine, an interviewee and Marlene, the interviewer. In this scene, we do not learnt anything about Marlene’s background, only about her current life and attitude towards her career. Marlene comes across as hard-working, powerful, bossy and aggressive, although she does act reasonably aggressive and bossy in Act One, we see a different side of her in Act Two. Marlene patronises Jeanine in the interview, she asks questions that she knows are difficult to answer for the young interviewee but wants to delve into her life and find out her secrets. “Because where do the prospects come in? No kids for a bit?”

Further into Act Two, we learnt abit about Marlene’s past. In Act Two scene two Angie, Joyce’s daughter and Marlene’s niece admits that her mother doesn’t like Marlene, “My mother hates her.” And suggests that her aunt Marlene is actually her mother, “I think I’m my aunt’s child. I think my aunt’s really my mother.” This shows us that Marlene has some sort of twist in her background. Why would Marlene and her sister not like each other any more ? Why would Marlene’s niece suspect her as her biological mother? Here, Marlene’s background complicates, possibly because of these complications she does not mention in Act One past relationships or children. Scene two’s purpose is to give us an insight into Marlene’s background but to also show us a contrast between the world of work and lower social class.

Marlene puts on an act whilst working in “Top Girls”, she acts strong, powerful and masculine when in reality I feel this is a cover up. I feel she moved to the city to escape her family and past as she was embarrassed and now pretends she hasn’t ant problems from the past like the others do.

In Act Two scene three, Marlene is in the employment agency with Win and Nell, other “Top Girls.” Nell and Marlene are very masculine, whereas Win is still feminine and portrays feminine traits, such as falling in love. Nell and Marlene are very similar in the way the act about love and relationships, Marlene is way too busy and focuses purely on her career at “Top Girls”, Nell does have a relationship with Derek but is more work orientated than Win. Nell knows that she could marry Derek, but does not want to as she wants a successful career more. “I could go on working and not marry him.” Nell appears to take after Marlene in the work place, however we do not know who has worked their the longest, we simply know that Marlene is being promoted. But this could be, I feel, because Marlene is powerful and pushy and knows that she wants from her career. Nell may be abit more relaxed when it comes to the hierarchy.

I feel that, as Marlene is the main character in the play she has the most power. She does however, also portray power through her character and style of living. She is the leader of all groups she is part of, the group at the meal, the group of girls at “Top Girls”. Although the group of girls at the meal is not a workplace for Marlene, she still presents strongly her masculine attitude towards work and towards others.