Women in World History

Foundations through the Present

Early Civilizations

Gender roles were redefined with the emergence of agriculture, moving from egalitarian to patriarchal

CULTURE/NATURE divide Political changes reinforced role of

women as subordinate, through law codes and inheritance practices

Some specific example from early civilizations… Mesopotamia

Veiled Mother goddess

transitioned to a male god of creation as civilization progressed

Egypt Queens wield

quite a bit of power

Religion is more egalitarian

Shang China Male offspring

were much more important than female offspring

Classical Civilizations

Systematic cultural statements solidified patterns of patriarchy already present in early civilizations

As social distinctions become more rigid, so do gender distinctions

Some specifics from classical civilizations…

China Confucianism

The three obediences Hierarchy of family as a

microcosm of the hierarchy of the state

Women have no land rights

Patrilocal/ patrilineal Women without sons

basically disappear

India Hinduism

Women can eventually reach nirvana

Female goddesses are powerful, creative and clever

Buddhism Women can reach nirvana

Religion defines all aspects of life, including gender structures

More specifics from Rome and Greece…

Rome Family-based political

and social systems In absence of their

husbands, women could manage estates

Christianity Open to women

Greece (Athens) Political & social

systems based on individual MEN

Women are confined to the home

Women are “deformed men”

Gender structures are more based in the secular

realm

Postclassical Civilizations (600-1450 CE) Gender structures strengthened in

some places, challenged in others Interactions of cultures had a big

effect (i.e. Buddhism spreading to China, Islam spreading to Asia and Africa)

Creation of states and bureaucracies further prohibit women from engaging in political activities

Some specifics from Postclassical Civs…

Islam Quran—Men and women are

equal Early women are not secluded Seclusion becomes part of

shari’a Women could hold property Polygyny Sex is okay! Intermarriage between Muslim

women and men of conquered regions was very important in spreading Islam

India 11th century—Sati Very low marriage age

SE Asia Egalitarian Women could own

property Engaged in trade and ag. Somewhat affected by

interaction with more patriarchal societies

More specifics from Postclassical Civs…

Europe Could inherit

estates Monogamy Primogeniture Convents MARY Division of labor

Japan Between 592-770, ½

of Japan’s rulers were female

Traced heritage to a female goddess

Murasaki Shikibu Increasing

militarization decreased women’s power

Early Modern Period (1450-1750) Migration of many people and

increasing interactions leads to the development of race (as a concept)—leads to efforts to control marriages and sexual relationships

Women act as intermediaries between local and foreign cultures as the world starts to come together

Some specifics from the Early Modern period…

Africa Polygyny is a

mainstay because of low populations

Women could own slaves

Latin America, cont. Socioracial

categories (i.e. ‘castas’) helped determined marriagability and roles

Created patterns of intermarraige among elite families

Slavery =matrifocal

Latin America Amerindian

women were sold off to European men

Gov.’s tried to prevent intermarriage to keep populations separate—impossible

More specifics from the Early Modern period… Europe

Expansion of literacy

Protestantism—no role for women except for in the home

Marriage and nuclear families are emphasized

Couldn’t own land Sexual

‘misbehavior’ prosecuted stringently

North America Less

intermarriage than in Latin America

Some matrilineal/ matrilocal tribes

Division of labor Religion-

complementary roles

Long 19th Century (1750-1914) A low point for many women

around the world, as patriarchal systems coalesced and served to strengthen each other

Even so, social classes were often more determinative than gender of a woman’s role

Early women’s movements call for access to education/ voting rights/ an end to misogynistic practices

Reasons for change

Political Revolutions Women held

meetings Sometimes

marched with men

New states limited most rights to men, esp. voting

In Japan, women were not considered legal persons after the Meiji Restoration

Industrialization Gendering of work Paid less for less

skilled labor Segregated

workplaces (partially due to a fear of sexual infidelity)

Skepticism about women’s ability to make moral choices

‘Best’ option was to stay at home

“Family Wage”

Intellectual Distinctions Aristotelian

traditions Craniology Freud-penis envy Communism/

socialism (women)

20th Century

Increased interconnection and communication brought increased visibility of, and often pressure to change, gender roles around the world

Attempted government control of population and birth control Education is the most effective

means of decreasing population

Worldwide trends

Matrifocal demographics Working class, Americans,

Africans, Caribbeans Decline in the marriage

rate & late marriage Divorce rates increase Women play a large role

in nationalist movements Feminist movements/ and

anti-Feminist backlash

Changes in work patterns— “Westernization” of

labor practices in developing countries affect

Multinational corporations hire women and children

Wars—women’s employment up, then down

Leads to voting rights movements