The Power of Women or Lack of Power of Women Early Revolutions - Essay Example

Women and Power Throughout History many stories are told of great and powerful men. Men who were warriors, politicians and kings. History often leads us to believe that women were hardly an existence in the past as many history books write only of great men, most men believed that they were superior to all women. However, there were indeed women in the past that held great power in their own way, Queen Victoria, Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, Mary Stuart Queen of Scots, and Margaret Thatcher are only some examples, but why has there been so little recognition of women A reason being that the majority of recorded history was recorded by men and so they often failed to represent the female's achievements and powers believed that they were superior to all women. Women's power has grown considerable from 1900 onwards. This rise in power was due manly to significant events such as the two world wars, were women replaced men in the workplace. Women were then seen as being capable of doing such jobs. Major breakthroughs for women also include women over 30 years of age being allowed to vote in 1918, and in 1919 the first woman sits in Parliament. Women struggled and fought hard for such opportunities as these, these were the first steps to equality for women and these were all led by women. Such examples of these are the suffragettes and the suffragists. These were among the first examples of what is now described as 'girl power'. Now in the 21st century we have seen even more equality for women, with female politicians and managers and many females in powerful social roles, all women in Britain are now equal with men in terms of voting, all women have the right the right to vote. But it was only until after the second world (1945) that women were to been seen as suitable for such power involving roles. Research on youth culture shows that young women have been ignored in history in post-war Britain and that the culture process was completely male dominated. However, with all of this bias toward women by men, it is important to note that certain women have made an astronomical impact on society. The Industrial Revolution of Great Britain brought about significant changes not only in Europe but throughout the world. It was inspiration for many other revolutions to follow. The positive effects that the revolution have introduced such as the high availability of employment, food, and human rights and the opportunity for future growth. Much like the phenomena of the internet that creates many more jobs today, they had more skilled jobs and machinery for labor. Before they only had animal and hand labor to get work done. This helped bring women out of the woodwork because there were more opportunities available. During the American Revolution there were few social and political changes made. Women's influence still remained in the home. They had little rights when it came to business or politics and it wasn't until 1920 that they were granted the right to vote. women contributed materially to the amendment of independence but shared little in the political benefits of the revolution. Many performed vital support services for the army and some 20,000 women moved with the armies, cooking, washing and caring for the injured. Women such as Mercy Warren helped promote the revolution by writing anti British plays and pamphlets. Despite their sacrifices there was no significant improvement in the status of American women. Their views were expected to reflect their husband and they were "expected to confide themselves to the traditional domestic sphere or to be supportive of their husbands in public life" Reacting against these conditions Abigail Adams urged her husband to " remember the ladies", urging him to promote the legal and political equality for women. Later in life, she was known as "Mrs. President" for all of the work she did that shaped this country. One of the most significant aspects of the French Revolution is the incredible momentum the women's movement achieved during this time. During a time of intense suffering and turmoil, women came together to fight for a common cause. In the wake of the Enlightenment and the French assembly issuing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, French women rose to the occasion and demanded freedom and equality with courage. While many of these women did not live to see the equality they fought for, their efforts proved to be a constructive force during the French Revolution. Interestingly, while the elite and the working class rarely fought for the same things, women were equally determined to fight for freedom and rights. Working women sought better working conditions through protests and other means. Aristocratic women sought civil equality regarding issues related to voting and marriage. However, both groups of women were in favor of reform regarding education. Another area that all women worked together to reform and eliminate was prostitution. Olympe de Gouges was an influential woman who fought for equality. In 1791, Olympe de Gouges wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Women. She demanded that women be looked at as citizens as well as mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. In her declaration she also argued that women have the right to own property. She also argued for equality in marriage and education. She encouraged women to "wake up; the tocsin of reason is being heard throughout the whole universe; discover your rights" (de Gouges). Her declaration demonstrated how the rights described in the Declaration for the Rights of Man and Citizens created basic rights for everyone, including those that it did not cover. Her argument was based on the fact that if certain rights are universal, then there should be no exclusions whatsoever. De Gouges was instrumental because she exhibited strength in a time of terror. In November of 1793, she was tried and guillotined. Shortly after her death, women were excluded from the army and they were also prohibited from attending any Convention galleries. Mary Wollstonecraft was also significant during this critical time during the French Revolution. Her essay, "A Vindication for the Right of Women" caused Rousseau to consider the "Enlightenment ideal of progressive knowledge". She, along with de Gouges, accused him of placing limitations on women's experience by limiting them to domestic life. She also argued that by keeping women in the domestic life forced them to become slaves to men. This was tyranny, she believed and argued that women could never know their full potential if they were denied an education. In addition to individual women making a difference, groups, clubs, and salons were formed cross the country to help spread the word for freedom. Pauline Leon and Claire Lacombe established the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women in May 1793. These women would meet in the galleries of the Convention not only to listen to public debates but also to provide support for their favorite speakers. The Society was specifically interested in issues that effected the poor and they were radical in demanding strict control of food prices and also fought to expose food hoarders. In addition, they also demanded the right to wear the cap and cockade, which was only sported by men at the time. When the Girondins rebuffed them, they formed an alliance with the Jacobins. When the Jacobins were unable to implement the Society's policies, the members rebelled and by October of that year, the Society, as well as all clubs and societies, was banned. A positive aspect that emerged from the salons was Jewish literature becoming available to the Jewish women. In most European countries, German was the predominant language and Jewish women had no choice but to read German. Through the salons, Jewish women were exposed to wealthy Jewish women who could discuss this literature and educate them. Another interesting aspect that arose from the emergence of salons, was that Jewish women and girls could meet freely with non-Jewish females and discuss various topics. These salons allowed Jewish women to come into contact with many individuals they might have otherwise never met. Women such as Julie de Lespinasse and Claudine de Tencin were instrumental in providing female philosophers a place to be heard. Women were educated on how to become citizens as well as how to petition for special legislation. Women that had connections to political figures could help keep these philosophers safe while they espoused their views. While these women were not staunch feminists, they did criticize women's lack of education. Women have always contributed to causes as important as freedom and equality. The women of the French Revolution demonstrated incredible strength and determination in reaching for their freedom. They organized protests and demonstrations, wrote important literature, and created salons in order to express themselves and become educated. They used whatever means available to make a plea for civil rights and equality. While they were rejected almost at every turn, they did not become passive. The march on Versailles was a significant event because it illustrated the seriousness and passion of women. Essentially, they were not afraid to fight for what they believed in. While they did not see immediate equality, the women involved in the French Revolution were a source of hope and inspiration for future generations. With de Gouges and Wollstonecraft, they knew their freedom could not be far behind. Freedom and equality for women meant freedom and equality for Jews, blacks, and other minorities and every step, however small, matters. The Scientific Revolution has most of its roots in the 17th century. However, the latter stages of completion of tests and theories finished around the 18th and 19th centuries. Marie Curie was a pioneering physicist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Life in late 19th century Poland was rough. Being a female in those days was not easy either. Marie Curie is recognized in history by the name she took in her adopted country of France. Born in Poland in 1867, she was christened Manya Sklodowska. At the age of 27, she had acquired two degrees from France's top university, University of Paris, and became a fluent speaker of the French language. She eventually married Pierre Curie and they studied the various properties of magnetic steels. Together they discovered Polonium and Radium. Unfortunately, Pierre died in 1906 however, Marie persevered on her scientific experiments in to World War I. She won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 as well as a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. World War I was instrumental as far as women's rights. Women previously had been barred from apprenticeship programs resulting in the loss of better-paid and more sophisticated jobs in the metal industry. World War I though would provide a great opportunity for women to get ahead and although the movement into the work force was already underway, and it would certainly provide as a stimulus. As a result of World War I and changing social views, women's role and place in American Society changed greatly. The results of World War I on women's place in society can be seen clearly in statistical evidence. Between 1910-1920 there was a dramatic increase in women in offices as clerks and in semi-skilled jobs, such as typists, cashiers, and typists. Women were quick to see the war as a good opportunity to improve their economic status in the society and took full advantage of this. The recognition of women by others and the government for their efforts illustrated to them their importance in the war effort. The Secretary of War, Navy, the President, and many other officials all recognized women and their importance in the attempt to win the war. Thus, women saw the war, as a liberating experience and it was important to them to support the war effort. Before the war there were a few women wage earner organizations and trade unions, but during the war union membership grew a great deal. Women began to join ranks of formally male unions, such as the federation of Federal Employees, and the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks. In 1919, many household workers began to form local organizations for the purpose of bettering wages and working conditions in Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. The war fortunately hit at a time when cooperate capitalism was creating new technology and in turn new jobs and labor policies. Because of this new structure, women's paid employment was changing and increasing opportunities in workplace and in autonomy were occurring. Women took their opportunity to its full potential, realizing how much they were needed. One of the greatest pioneers of the women's movement was Virginia Woolf. In 1928, Virginia Woolf was invited to speak on the topic of "women and fiction". The outcome, based upon two papers she conveyed to literary societies at Newnham and Girton in October of that year, was "A Room of One's Own", an extensive essay on women as both writers of fiction and as characters in fiction and whilst Woolf suggests that, "when a subject is highly controversial-and any question about sex is that-one cannot hope to tell the truth." In "A Room of One's Own", with the exhortation for women to lay flowers on the grave of Aphra Behn in gratitude for her pioneering work as a professional writer and the assertion that "we think back through our mothers if we are women," Woolf initiated the historical work that taught feminists to seek and take interest in women writers of the past. She highlights the intensity of women's shame at being writers by having even her prostitutes avoid the shame of authorship. Trading on these deep prejudices in 1929, Woolf imagines the young woman writer of the eighteenth century trying to persuade her father that she could make a living by her pen and his reply: "Yes! by living the life of Aphra Behn! Death would be better!" Woolf, a chief modernist writer and columnist, takes us on an intellectual yet conversational--and completely entertaining--walk around the history of women in writing, efficiently evaluating the architecture of sentences by the likes of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen, all the while ridiculing the bigoted state of university education in the England of her day. When she finished that to achieve their full greatness as writers' women will need a solid income and seclusion, Woolf pretty much invented contemporary feminist criticism. It is easy to see where women all over the world for hundreds of years have incurred much strife. Many rights and privileges were denied and women were treated as inferior human beings. It is thanks to those few strong women who led movements and helped shape the efforts of women's rights, that we can be grateful for having as many privileges as we have today. WORKS CITED Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. New York: Harcourt, 1981 Mayfield,Sue. Timeline: Women and Power. London. Dryad, 1988. Craig, Albert, et al. The Heritage of World Civilizations. 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. McRobbie,Angela. Feminism and Youth Culture, London. MacMillan. (2000) Jones, M.A, The Limits of Liberty-American History 1607-1992, London. Oxford, 1995. Radtke,L. Stam,A. Power/Gender: Social Relations in Theory and Practice. London. Sage, 1994. Read More