What is the relationship with England and gender in "The Garden Party"?

It is important for this story that the protagonist be a women.  Besides the class structure that existed - and still exists to an extent - in England, there is a structure and a heirarchy based on gender.  In the early 20th century, a young woman was more at the whim of her family and her elders than a young man.  She was expected to be concerned with affairs of the home, and not what was happening in the outside world.  In addition, she was expected to obey.  We see Laura being pressured by her family, and we see her obey.  She had no other option.

In addition to being able to stand up for himself, a young man would be more expected to be concerned with the lives of the laborer.  This goes back to the fact that women were expected to be concerned with the home.  Therefore, they were more isolated from the different classes then men were.  Because men were allowed to socialize more, and were expected to interact with a variety of people for business purposes (women had no business purpose), it would have been more accepted for a young man to be concerned about the accident than a young woman.

Mansfield challenges this stereotype by allowing Laura to be concerned, and  - more so - by including the final scene.   When Laura and Laurie - boy and girl - share a moment of realization about life's priorities, Mansfield shatters both the idea of gender and the idea of class.