Women have had to fight for there independence.
They have been repressed for a long period of history. Only recently have women
started to gain respect as equals and individuals. Even today women are still
looked down upon for there sex.
From the begging of history women have been
viewed as a lesser sex. In the time Mesopotamia women we in charge of the
children and the home. In Ancient Egypt women had no power or authority. Women
were viewed as property. The Hebrews, alto respecting women, did not allow them
to own any property or to have an active place in government. In Rome women
were not allowed to voice there opinions. They were viewed as lesser beings,
who's role in society was to give birth and to take care of children. They were
property of there husbands and not viewed as individuals. There husband was
there master and women we practically slaves and was often mistreated by there
husband. A servant to the male sex.
During the middle ages women still has almost
no rights. They still didn't have the right to voice there opinion and were
still viewed as property. If they disobeyed there male role model they were
punished. The art of the Renaissance gave women some freedom to voice there
opinion about the arts and social issues as long as there opinions weren't very
radical. However women were only the objects in the arts. They were the models
and not the creators. They were not allowed to express themselves but only to
be expressed by others. This lead into the period of the Reformation, women
were still viewed as property and the homemakers. They did not really get there
place in society.
The 17th century was the first real growth of
the women's movement. Up until this time women had been in the same category as
property or slaves. But as the French society moved toward revolution women
began to speak of the injustice against them. "The Vindication of Rights
of Women (1792) called for the extension of the principle of the liberty to
women and urging that equal public education be made available for men and
women" (Perry, 289). This list of the right that women were lacking was
one of the first attempts at creating a legislation that included women in its
laws. During the scientific revolution men were making discoveries and coming up with new ideas all over the
world. This was not possible for women because the education was not able to
compare with that of the men's. After roll models such as Tristan Flora women
started trying harder to become a part of the society. They fought so that they
could be intellectual individuals, and not just slaves to the male dominated
society. They started thinking for themselves, having there own thoughts and
ideas. In the modern 20th century women used the example of these women as
arguments to push there cause.
When the idea of Nationalism began bringing
countries together it helped women slightly. Yet still did not make them there
equality to men. In the time of the Industrial Revolution women began receiving
jobs in factories. Alto they were still not treated as equals. They were paid
significantly less than men for the same days work. The majority of women still
stayed at home and took care of the household and children. The idea of
socialism brought women more respect. With the idea of socialism women gained
some standing in society as close equals to men. In a socialistic society
everyone is equal, including women. This idea of equality women in the past
could not even in vision. As the battle for women's rights continued they
gained the right in the United States to live freely. They could now own land
and participate in the government. At the end of the 19th century women began
to become educated. They began to prove there intellectual equality to men. As
World War I came around women began to enter the workforce. With the men being
killed in time of war it left a limited number of men to work in the factories.
Women began to take over these roles. They were finally given responsibility
and respect for there work.
By the time of World War II women had proven
themselves in the workforce. They now could find employment, alto there was
still discrimination. During the 1950's woman began to fight for liberation in
the workforce. They wanted more involvement in the work place. Women now wanted
to go to college, support themselves, and fight for there country. They were no
longer satisfied with raising a family. A woman could have a career and be a
mother to her children. They became independent members of society. With there
new position of education and career orientation, it gave a sense that men and
women were truly equal.
Alto women are gaining influence they still
feel discriminated against because of
there sex. There are many examples of women in high positions and women holding
power. Queen Elizabeth I is one example of a woman in a position of power.
These cases of women in power have rarely occurred in history. But even today
in the 20th century there have been very few women officials. It seems most of
the women who have achieved a position of power, achieved it because of there
marriage to an influential man. Take any United States presidents wife for
example. Women such as these have a great deal of power and influation, but
they wouldn't have this if it wasn't for there husbands. The idea that a woman
can work and be just as productive as a man a receive the same rewards happens
to a point. The majority of the heads of
corporations are men, women make a lesser salary and aren't promoted as much as
men. As a woman rises in power in a company she usually gets to a point and
then the promotions stop. This event of a sudden stop in promotion has been
called "The Glass Ceiling effect" (Lunt). This can only be explained
as women are still being treated as a lesser being to men.
The reason why women are inferior to men is
still unknown. It has been around for as long as men and women have walked the
earth. Hopefully soon it will disappear completely and we can all be viewed as
equals.
Works Cited and
Works Consulted
Golden, Richard
and Thomas Kuehn. Western Societies. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993.
Lowenthal, David.
The Past and Foreign Country. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
Lunt, Richard.
Lectures.
Perry, Marvin.
Western Civilizations. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993.
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