Women's Role Throughout History
Throughout history times have changed, this can also be said of women. As periods changed so did the demands and opportunities. Women were able to adapt to these new changes remarkably well, and so they were able to shape and influence these periods, as well as benefit from them. Life for the American woman in the 19th century was full of conflicts and struggles. Women suffered from a lot of discrimination, and were not allowed to vote, attend universities, speak in public or own property, and were essentially forced to fight for their place within society. Regardless of these difficulties, women gathered strength in numbers and succeeded in establishing permanent social changes. This paper will examine how women's role has changed throughout history, the women's rights movement, and what can still be improved for women. In early societies, women gave birth and cared for children, cared for the home, and maintained the family.
Pictures from Equal Pay Day actions in Leuven.
Pictures from Equal Pay Day actions in Leuven.
Pictures from Equal Pay Day actions in Leuven.Male domination however was important from the early written historical records, probably as a result of men's discovery of their role in development of hunting and warfare as resourceful activities (77, Gonzalez). The belief that women were weaker and inferior to men was also suggested by religions. As the bible states, God placed Adam in authority to watch over Eve, and St. Paul urged women to obey their husbands (77, Gonzalez). Therefore, in traditional societies, women generally were at a disadvantage. Their education was limited to learning home based skills, and they had a harder time gaining a position of power. Drucker explains in his essay of jobs that required no skills or knowledge that they didn't already possess (227, Drucker). But, he failed to talk of opportunities for women. However, some opportunities available to women were "domestic servants, laundresses, and prostitutes...were the...