Women Roles Throughout History - Research Paper Example

? Women Roles throughout History and Number Submitted Women Roles throughout History One thing thatcannot be denied by anyone irrespective of the country, culture, religion, or social system is the importance of women in history. In fact, some historians argue that the society may not be complete without a woman. This can be traced back to the foundation of time, when God created Adam and Eve, with which Eve as a woman was created to provide companion to Adam (Bardsley, 2007). It is here that historians and scientists first encounter the role of women in society. In addition to Biblical teachings, the roles of women have evolved differently all over the world from Europe to Middle East, Africa to South Asia and America to Australia (Brown and McBride (2005). The differences in roles are mainly attributed to different cultural and religious beliefs that determine the role of women in society. For example, the role of Muslim women living in Middle East may be quite dissimilar from those of women in European countries dominated by Christians. The same applies to South Asia and Africa. This implies that culture and religion is a major determinant of the women’s position in society. Despite the differences, it is also true that certain roles are the same irrespective of the geographical region. For instance, at the beginning, in the backward society, women dominated the society and family due to the important roles they played. This is due to the fact that finding food like vegetables and fruits which were the major food during this period was left for women. In most cases, women were inferior to their men and were denied several rights in male dominated societies according to Brown and McBride (2005). However, these roles underwent different transformation brought about by education, technology, civil rights among others, to the extent that today women are almost equal to men in most societies, in the world. The objective of this paper is to explore the roles of women throughout history from prehistory to 1500 CE. The discussion will cover these roles in separate eras such as middle ages, renaissance and Medieval as viewed by different world cultures in Europe, Middle East, Africa and East Asia. The paper will also explore how the lives, roles and status of women in the society has changed and varied over different cultural areas and early world history eras. Throughout history books and the Bible, several events are documented pertaining to the different roles played by women in the society that has helped transform the society. In the Bible, for example, Esther is depicted as playing her role as Queen, and helped save the Hebrews at the verge of being exterminated. It can, therefore, be argued that the Jewish community could not have been in existence were it that Esther could not have played this important role. In Europe, the role of women throughout history has been centered on equality and injustice. Nevertheless, one thing that is acknowledged among historians is that the role of women has changed greatly in Europe since prehistory to the end of 1500. It is reported that, during the Middle Ages that lasted from 5th century to about the fifteenth century, women played an important role in helping family produce enough food supplies. As such, they participated in planting, wedding and harvesting, as well as storing the food harvested from the farms. In addition, female gender, wives and daughters were also responsible for cooking meals for the family; attend to home chores such as maintaining general cleanliness of the house and home compound. They were also responsible for rising of children (Bardsley, 2007). It is also reported that women during the middle ages in Europe were supposed to be submissive to their male counterparts in the family. In this regard, they were expected not only to obey their father, and other family members such as brothers. As such, any woman who is rule was to be forced into submission and disrespect was perceived as a crime against religion. It is also reported that education was mainly a preserve for the male as women were expected to perform family chores and look after the children. However, those women who hail from wealthy families had a chance to attend private schools or were to be taught at homes established for their male counterparts (Brown and McBride, 2005). The middle age period then gave way to the renaissance period in which the role of women in the society did not change much. This is because the society still remained male dominated as women were considered too weak to either make meaningful decisions or rule a community with respect to their lives. As such, women still remained subject to men as they were forced by their fathers into marriage whether they like it or not. This implies that women had no power to determine who their husbands are to be. This implies that marriage was not done out of love. It is also noted that women of this time in Europe were also still denied access to education and oppressed by the judicial system in favor of the men Florentine leaving women to suffer in silence. Brown and McBride (2005) note that demands and values of the society during the renaissance period were centered on a male-dominated hierarchy, leaving women in an awkward position. Just like in the Middle Ages period, the role of women during the renaissance period was to produce children for their husbands. Brown and McBride (2005) reveal that by being confined to their houses, women of the renaissance were not expected to venture alone in public. As such, in the event of aristocratic or elite woman the only role, the woman was expected to attend to was the church, private functions of their husband’s estate and the weddings of their husband’s families. What is amazing is that women of this time were expected to dress in a way that pleases their family and husband, as opposed to herself (Bardsley, 2007). This implies that in case the husband or family members reject the type of dressing she is putting on, then the woman was expected to change the clothe with immediate effect. As such, everything done by a woman during the renaissance period had to take account of their husband’s desire. This affirms that women of renaissance in Europe had no autonomy or personal identity enjoyed by their male counterparts, who lived in the fifteenth century. The scenario was the same during the medieval era. Nevertheless, as time progressed, women started to realize that time was running out of them, and they needed to stand up and fight for their rights and equality in the society. Despite strong opposition, they were able now to start making process with regard to decisions that affected their lives. These saw many women begin to attend schools and take part in community decision makings as well as wielding power. Today, women in Europe consider themselves equal to their male counterparts, be it in the corporate, social or political scene. Germany, for instance one of the European countries is currently ruled by Chancellor Angela Michel. This shows how position of women has greatly changed in Europe (Bardsley, 2007). The scenario of women position in the Middle East is almost the same as that in Europe during early years. However, Moghadam (2003) argues that the social position and legal status of women in Muslim nations has been the worse than anywhere. He notes that Islamic theology and law is the main determinant of the status of women. He argues that dating back from the middle Age period through the renaissance and medieval, women in the Middle East are taken as mothers and housewives, where gender segregation is customary, at times legally called for. He notes that whereas men bore the responsibility of providing economically to the family; women are expected to marry and reproduce in order to earn status (Beck and Nikki, 1978). They are also voiles in terms of determining the number of children to be born, a responsibility left for the male. This explains the reason why there are high fertility and birthrates in the Middle East. One amazing thing is that men, unlike women have an absolute right of divorce. Moreover, Moghadam (2003) reveals women during this period were only allowed to travel after receiving consent from their husbands or guardian. The society is reported to be segregated according to sex based on Shari’a law. Beck and Nikki (1978) note that women in the Middle East participated in several intellectual and cultural pursuits during the Umayyad Caliphat (660-750). During this time, women in the Middle East provided salons where poets, scholars and other intellectuals could gather. One such woman was Dukaina, the granddaughter of Mohammed. It is also reported that women of this time were involved in writing poetry, and sing dirges during funerals, as well. Unlike in Europe, women of this era in the Middle East could attend schools as well as engage in the teaching profession along side their male counterparts. In fact, theology, law and medicine were mainly studied by women. Despite being voiceless during the Middle Ages, Moghadam (2003) reveals that the situation began to improve a bit during the medieval period. This is because it marked the beginning of women’s participation in political scenes, which varied considerably. It is reported that some of the women played an active role in politics which was, however, dominated by men. One such woman who participated in active politics from Middle East during the medieval period is Fatimah, the daughter to Mohammed, who happened to succeed his father after his death (Beck and Nikki, 1978). It is also here that Muslim women began to recognize the value of education as they could then star attending schools. Nevertheless, this was still forbidden in some countries like Iraq and Iran. It is reported that, despite the status of women having improved in the Middle East since prehistory, there are still a lot of political, social and economic oppression directed to the women due to cultural belief and practices (Beck and Nikki, 1978). African Women in History African women’ history during the pre-colonial period is little known. This is because of lack of written sources that talk on their roles. The little information contained in the Arab and missionary records have been used to show women roles in early African history. The Arab and European missionaries had explored Africa from the 10th and 15th centuries (Falola and Amponsah, 2012). Early written sources of Arab and European missionaries portray African women only as princess, queen mothers, concubines and slaves. The stereotyping grouping of women in these categories is due to the fact the Arab and European missionaries socialized with the ruling class and had no time to socialize with women. Their main aim was to use the women. In addition, their categorization of women can be based on their observations on how women were being used by the ruling class. These early writings stereotyped African woman as being a sexual object thereby ignoring their significance in the society (Falola and Amponsah, 2012). Due to colonial rule and gender biases held by the colonial administration, Africa women roles in history became more marginalized. Male colonial administrators did not recognize women as worthy beings. Women were presented as victims of Africa’s social and cultural institutions. Further, women were viewed as a group with no voice (Berger and White, 1999). African researchers have also been able to reconstruct women into African history through the use of oral narratives. African narratives have presented women as being pivotal queen mothers and leaders with exceptional qualities. Revolutionary women leaders have been reported to have existed between 16th and 20th centuries. From the early African oral literature, women were as valuable in their roles as were men. Importantly, early historical woman engaged in economic organization of communities through agricultural activities. For instance, women worked in gold mines of the Nubian Kingdom. In addition, women participated in art and craft activities, in the Kushite society (Berger and White, 1999). Historical narratives exist about powerful African women rulers. These women had political power and influenced several decisions in the society. For example, in the Kush community, women leaders were referred to as the “Candace”. It is reported that Kush women leaders ruled without assistance from men or jointly with their sons. Queen Amanitore is said to have ruled kingdoms jointly with King Notakamani during the first century C.E. There are also oral literatures that have reported the serving of women in the military. The women also served pivotal positions such as deities and priestesses. In early Ethiopian history (Aksum kingdom), women held high political positions in the community (Falola and Amponsah, 2012). Throughout Africa, archeological evidence has showed that women worked in collaboration with men, to achieve main objectives in the success of the society. In addition, women were also crucial in the economical sectors of the society by engaging in farming and trade activities. In early African oral literature, women participated in the production of food. Importantly, women ware fundamental in building, and uniting states by marrying into different family lines. In particular, women ensured that society alliances were strengthened. Strong Social alliances were crucial for trade and political security and created larger families that formed other larger social units (Falola and Amponsah, 2012). Other oral narrative, especially in Uganda, has shown that women were essential in securing the initial existence of kingdoms such as the Buganda kingdom and Dahomey Kingdom. The women secured the existence of these kingdoms through marital ties and other prominent groups. Women during the early period in African history were viewed as being important to the community more than any other group (Falola and Amponsah, 2012). In other African communities, oral narratives have indicated that men seized power from women by impregnating them. This shows that women had at one time held power. In addition, this narrative shows that women were at one time prominent personalities in their communities. Women also acted as stabilizing forces to their society and institutions (Berger and White, 1999). It has been argued that women roles of uniting families through marriage are subject to control by men. This has been a serious issue in women emancipation struggles to the contemporary times. In particular, women’s role in uniting families denied them ability to have a choice in making marriage decisions. However, it should be noted that without women efforts to unite various communities, several kingdoms across Africa would not have succeeded or appeared. Women were not only restricted to political roles; they also engaged in farming, trading, child bearing and rearing, social entertainment, artistic production and distribution, religion, and cultural transmission. Some societies had gendered division of work; there were roles from men and women (Falola and Amponsah, 2012). East Asia women in history In East Asia history, especially in Japan, China and Korea, the society believes that there are further differences between the genders apart from the biology. Men and women have different behavior patterns that led to status allocation to individuals. In particular, Chinese gender differences have been manifested in the yin/yang Taoist symbol. According to Taoism symbol, women are able to seek for spiritual fulfillment. Consequently, historical Chinese women were able to join convents as well as gather with men in discussing philosophy and religion (Smith, 2005). Tang Dynasty, 625-705 C.E. Chinese earliest goddess known as His Huang Mu; expressed gender differences manifested in the Taoism symbol. The goddess was viewed as being compassionate as well as promising immortality to human beings. In addition, the goddess had powers to disrupt the harmony within the society. These qualities led to the belief that women leaders can upset harmony in the community. Women would be discriminated against based on beliefs that they could cause disharmony within the society. Women who succeeded in achieving political power were referred to by the use of derogatory terms (Smith, 2005). Han dynasty ca. 45-120 C.E During this period, women were expected to yield to others. Any woman in the society had to regard men as being superior that women. In addition, women were placed at the end of family structure. This view was based on the conjecture that men and women had different behaviors. The behaviors were graded according to how they were accepted in the society. Behavior was mainly based on Confucian hierarchical precepts. Advice manual were present to give girls lessons on how they could care and respect men in the society. Lessons were some of the reference areas in teaching required behaviors to the women. Women, therefore, had no right of making decisions; the society had to decide their behavior and thought patterns (Hinsch, 2011). Song Dynasty 960-1279 C.E This period concentrated on wife fidelity. Women had to be moral members of the society by marrying only one man. Women infidelity was not allowed. In particular, women were not allowed to have more than one sexual partner. In addition, women were expected to practice husband worship. Men were viewed as being superior to women (Hinsch, 2011). During the early history in East Asia, women rights were non-existent. Rules were put in place for women to obey. For instance, women were expected to obey their fathers while young, obey the husband when married, and obey their sons when widowed. However, in late nineteenth century, women rights groups oppose accepted traditional beliefs and rules imposed on women. The fight for women emancipation became a national issue within the countries in the East Asia. In particular revolutionary movements were formed to fight against gender discrimination (Hinsch, 2011). Male nationalist in the East Asia countries welcomed women fight against gender discrimination. They argued that respect to human rights would lead to acceptance of China, Japan and Korea to other technologically advanced nations. Several women in Japan and China campaigned against gender discrimination by speaking and writing against societal vices. However, traditionalists and conservative nationalists did not endorse women fight for equality. They campaigned against change in gender roles (Hinsch, 2011). Conclusion Despite gender biases registered against women across the world in different cultures, women formed important part of the community. Women participated in agriculture, child rearing, trade, social entertainment, artistic production and distribution, religion, and cultural transmission. Historical and modern society can never be complete without the contribution of women. Women have participated in fighting for human rights in the society. Historical evidence show how women fought against gender discrimination. Women have also ensured that democratic principles are instituted in the society. References Bardsley, S. (2007). Women’s roles in the middle ages. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Beck, L., & Nikki, K. (1978). Women in the Muslim world. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Berger, I and White, F (1999). Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: Restoring Women to History. Indiana: Indiana University Press. Brown, M.L. & McBride, K.B. (2005). Women’s roles in the renaissance. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing. Falola, T. & Amponsah, N. (2012), Women’s Roles in Sub-Saharan Africa. New York: ABC-CLIO. Hinsch, B. (2011). Women in early imperial China, New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Moghadam, V. (2003). Modernizing women: Gender and social change in the Middle East (2nd ed). Boulder, CO 80301: Lynne Reinner Publishing, 1-32. Smith, B. (2005). Women’s History in Global Perspective. Vol 2, Chicago: University Of Illinois Press. Read More