Women in Aztec Society and Colonial New Spain Women have had to fill a role throughout time. It might be defined by her culture with the purpose to be considered desirable. There were a lot of pressures for women to fulfill, and these pressures vary in a vast way from one culture to another, some cultures are more demanding in particular. Women in Aztec society were held to a very strict code of behavior and respect. Women domesticity was considered the most important aspect of their lives.
While the two main responsibilities for women remained maintaining the household and childbearing, they were also able to have the same legal and economic rights and social positions, were able to represent themselves at law, own their own property, make their own decisions and have more superior jobs than women of other ancient civilizations. Ancient Egypt, for the most part, did not categorize their society into that of men having more prestige or power than women, but instead built a society in which status in the community, (birth right, money, job or position etc. ), and the way in which you performed your particular role in the community, would give a better assessment of one’s self worth. There is little evidence to prove a woman’s role and rights in ancient Egypt. Many of the artefacts left behind by ancient Egyptians depict very little about the roles women played in society and everyday life.
They may not have been educated to as high of standards as men at the time but especially women of the highe r classes tended to be well educated. They were able to become teachers, religious figures and importantly were allowed to marry after being widowed. Women even had some economic freedom and were allowed to earn wages. The practice of sati was not yet in effect. Although, having a male child was still more desirable than a girl.
Unfortunately, not all societies viewed women as equal. Some actually viewed women as slaves or servants. On the other hand there were cultures that did treat their women with virtually the same human rights as men. Women played a different role than men in their day to day lives. In ancient times, they were known mostly as gatherers, mothers, caregivers or teachers.
Unlike their Athenian counterparts, Spartan women certainly were not marginalised. Everyone in Spartan society was expected to support the military ethos on which the society was based. Women were forbidden to spin or weave as such tasks were seen as tasks fit only for slaves. They were also excluded from holding public office and did not have the right to vote. Though they did not participate in government, the women did enjoy considerable freedom, could accumulate property and exercise considerable power.
They practice polygamy, where it is the norm for the men in the culture to have more than one wife. In Chocolat, the family structure is exactly the same as we perceive it in modern society. It is the norm for a man is only allowed to have one wife. There are many more differences to these two cultures, but that’s for a later time. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and the film,“Chocolat”, directed by Lasse Hallstrom, family relationships are one of the things that keep the story going.
Because women could give birth, their roles were valuable than men in some societies. On the basis of this assumption, it is possible that matriarchy existed and women ruled meaning men have not always been leaders. Based on evidence from archaeologist, the beginning of civilization was female-centered with females figures known as Earth Mother or the Mother Goddess. Great leaders such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra are rooted in many minds to be the first female leaders of great societies and examples of strong independent women. They conquered great societal barriers in order to achieve their goals.
He also mentions that even though men are now performing more housework, they still tend to take responsibility for different tasks, for example pet care, gardening and DIY work. Young and Wilmott are also good examples of sociologists that believe gender roles have in fact become more equal. They carried out some research and concluded that by the 1970’s the roles that the husbands and wives in a family have, become more similar. Whilst conducting their research, they discovered that 72% of men actually performed housework other than washing up every week. Young and Wilmott saw this as a positive
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.
Women Then and Now- Compare and Contrast Essay There was once a time when women were thought to be completely inferior and subordinate to men. They were thought to be less than a man in regards to intellectuality, physical strength, and virtually all other aspects of life other than being a homemaker. Some people in the modern world still think and feel this way, but there have also been many improvements in women’s rights since those times. In some parts of the world, women still cannot have the same rights as a man, whereas in other parts of the world, women are considered equal. Before the 20th century, the role of a woman was only to stay home and cook, clean, and take care of the kids.