“I don’t know who’d have her, mind” (Joyce, Act 2.2). Explore the theme of ownership within marriage as it appears within the play.

Top Girls depicts political economic conditions of oppression in 1970s Britain. Many working class families, like Joyce and Angie, experienced nothing but difficulty, and saw no opportunities for advancement. Joyce and Marlene's blue-collar upbringing was marked by parental conflict and constant disappointment due to their father’s limited opportunities for work. This led him to beat Marlene and Joyce’s mother, who was effectively trapped in a situation of domestic abuse.