Role of Women 1500-Present Day
Role of Women 1500-Present Day His 104 Prof. Steven Brownson
Role of Women 1500-Present Day
Early portrayal of the role of women was of domestic nature, dominated my men. Influenced by religion, culture, and world events, the role of women is ever-changing. In this paper I will look at the evolution of women; their role in society from historical periods to contemporary historical periods through out the world. I will highlight the fight for women’s rights and look at how future women benefited from it.
Early Mesopotamian Society
Women’s role in early society was much like slaves. They were seen as inferior or unequal to me. In Mesopotamia laws recognized men as heads of their household and entrusted all major family decisions to their judgment. Men even had the power to sell their wives and children into slavery to satisfy their debts. The laws prescribed death by drowning as the punishment for adulterous wives, as well as for their partners, while permitting men to engage in consensual sexual relations with concubines, slaves, or prostitutes without penalty.
Women did influence Mesopotamian society inspite of their subordinate legal status. Some advised kings, wielded great power as high priestesses who managed enormous estates belonging to their temples they also worked as scribes, midwives, shopkeepers, brewers, bakers, tavern keepers, and textile manufactures.
“During the second millennium B.C.E., however Mesopotamian men progressively tightened their control over the social and sexual behavior of women. To protect family
fortunes and guarantee the legitimacy of heirs, Mesopotamians insisted on the virginity of brides at marriage, and they forbade casual socializing between married women and men outside their family. By 1500 B.C.E. and probably even earlier, married women in Mesopotamian cities had
Role of Women 1500-Present Day
Early portrayal of the role of women was of domestic nature, dominated my men. Influenced by religion, culture, and world events, the role of women is ever-changing. In this paper I will look at the evolution of women; their role in society from historical periods to contemporary historical periods through out the world. I will highlight the fight for women’s rights and look at how future women benefited from it.
Early Mesopotamian Society
Women’s role in early society was much like slaves. They were seen as inferior or unequal to me. In Mesopotamia laws recognized men as heads of their household and entrusted all major family decisions to their judgment. Men even had the power to sell their wives and children into slavery to satisfy their debts. The laws prescribed death by drowning as the punishment for adulterous wives, as well as for their partners, while permitting men to engage in consensual sexual relations with concubines, slaves, or prostitutes without penalty.
Women did influence Mesopotamian society inspite of their subordinate legal status. Some advised kings, wielded great power as high priestesses who managed enormous estates belonging to their temples they also worked as scribes, midwives, shopkeepers, brewers, bakers, tavern keepers, and textile manufactures.
“During the second millennium B.C.E., however Mesopotamian men progressively tightened their control over the social and sexual behavior of women. To protect family
fortunes and guarantee the legitimacy of heirs, Mesopotamians insisted on the virginity of brides at marriage, and they forbade casual socializing between married women and men outside their family. By 1500 B.C.E. and probably even earlier, married women in Mesopotamian cities had
References: 1. Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., and Streets, H. (2008). Traditions and encounters: A brief global history (3rd ed.). New York : McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9780073534534 2 Vol. 32, No. 1 (Spring, 2004), pp. 39-70 Published by: Blackwell Publishing Vol. 66, No. 5, Special Issue: International Perspectives on Families and Social Change (Dec., 2004), pp. 1108-1117 Published by: National Council on Family Relations