Women in the Americas, who had once seen power and almost equality to men, were now going to lose respect in religious, legal, and cultural ways that they never saw coming. Religion in the Americas before the Spanish arrived was based a lot off of cosmology. In Inca religion, the men worshipped the sun, and women worshipped the moon. They were separate but both just as important as the other. There were priests that ruled the men organization and priestesses that ruled the women organization.
Women’s Roles in Ancient Times In the earliest human societies, it was believed that our society has been patriarchal since the beginning of civilization. This theory has been proven to be wrong in time and some cultures because there were many strong willed women who disregarded custom and rules their families with the sheer force of their personalities (Thompson 2010). Women played a large and essential role in the history of their civilization. The role of women in different ancient societies had many similarities and differences. Because women could give birth, their roles were valuable than men in some societies.
Unlike the western culture, a woman who has participated in premarital sex is highly frowned upon. A family may lose out on having their daughter married if she is not “closed.” A girl’s virginity is very important for her ability to get married It becomes a thing of prestige, economics and family honor when it comes to female circumcision. Female mutilation is an essential part of a woman’s life to the societies that practice it, where the control of female sexuality and fertility are givens. Female circumcision reduces the uncertainty of premarital sexual activity because of its harsh procedure it prevents and discourages it all together. Even though the societies that practice circumcision can be very different, in each one the majority of females get little to no education and are simply looked upon as child bearers.
Women were viewed as men’s property so they had to do whatever the husband wanted them to do. Also they did the entire domestic work and look after the children. These views affected their lives as they couldn’t do many things like sue their husband for adultery, for beating them and if they tried to run away they’d be captured by the police and bought back to the husband. The women had to look after children and the domestic work which people then thought that this was all they were good for so they didn’t give them a good education or a well paying job. Finally the men didn’t think much of women for doing things that they could.
In addition, her novel Herland depicts women at their true, full potential in roles equal to men. There are many hidden meanings in Gilman’s Herland that can be found in the characters and setting. I will explore the two themes, independence and evolution, which are central to Gilman’s works, Women and Economics and Herland. In Women and Economics, Gilman stresses the theory that women need to become independent and stop depending on men in order to achieve their true human potential. She points out that women depend on men for survival and that is only seen in the human species.
| The Importance of Women in Mesopotamian Culture | An Analysis of Women’s Roles in the Social and Family Structure of Mesopotamia | | Trevor James O’Brien | 1/29/2011 | | Mesopotamia was a highly patriarchal society, and as such, family life was centered on the male relatives, thus relegating females to a life as second-class denizens. This does not mean that women played no role in the cultural and social development of Mesopotamia. By thoroughly examining scholarly sources, it appears that women were of more importance than people may assume upon first glance of the culture. Despite the fact that nearly every woman was illiterate, they were often portrayed as having roles like poet, performing artist, healer, counselor, mediator, advisor, and caretaker – roles which did not require any kind of literacy, but were still considered crucial societal roles. Perhaps most importantly, women were held in high-esteem for being mothers to Mesopotamian children, and for taking care of household chores (Harris, Preface).
The fact that she had a son later reveals the unfair gender roles of the child, compared to the idea of if she had a daughter. By choice, the Third Princess became a nun and it’s believed by the Japanese that “a girl might seem to invite bad luck [if] the mother is a nun. But with a boy it makes no difference.” (Tale of Genji, pg. 648) Through superstition, the gender of a child coming into an Aristocratic heritage makes all the difference for the future of the family. A daughter would have had different requirements growing up and it was believed that the family might have been cursed with bad luck because the mother became a Nun.
Xenophon wrote, “Lycurgus thought that for free women the most important job was to bear children”. Marriage was unusual in Sparta; it was common for a married couple to keep their marriage a secret until the birth of their child. Women married around the age of 18, or when according to Plutarch, they were “ripe for it” – mentally and physically ready for motherhood. Spartan women naturally had very strong maternal instincts and were sought after in Athens as nannies. The role of rearing children was paramount and their relationship with their sons was not of the norm.
In the Greek period, women were not aloud to have any of their own properties; such as land or houses. If a woman wanted to have something of her own during that period she was cast out and more then likely stoned to death. In todays society however, a woman who owns her own house or car is respected for being independent and being able to support herself. Today, women are looked up on as the “brats” that always get their way. Some people even go as far to try to prove that women get better treatment in some cases because of the sexual status.
Feminist movements have challenged the traditional stereotype of a woman’s role of being a stay at home mother and caring for her family. Women are less willing to listen and obey their patriarchal husbands, and in a majority of households; there are dual working families. Although radical feminists argue that we have still not achieved equality between men and women; there has been major improvements. The way in which feminists, as well as women in general look at younger girls has also changed. In previous years; advice given by older women to younger girls would be to make sure that they get married and they are not ‘left on the shelf’.