History of Women Rights Essay Example

History of Women Rights Essay Example 

In the past century, we have seen the largest shift in women’s rights around the world in history, which now allow women to vote and protect our natural born rights. Regardless, the transformation of society would not have been necessary had our ancestors given everyone equal rights in the first place. Unfortunately, this is not the case and the role of women is extremely different today than it was a couple centuries ago. During the fourteenth century, women were treated as inferiors to men and were considered property rather than living human beings. Women were to be submissive to the men around her and speak only if spoken to. She was mostly restricted to doing household activities and caring for the children while the men dealt with the more important things that she would not be able to handle. Evidently, women in the fourteenth century faced inequal opportunities through the establishment of gender norms and misogynistic roles for women.

During the 1300s, several norms were established regarding women in society, her appearance, how to present herself when in public, and the rights that were given to her. In societies during this time, women were mostly perceived as child bearers and housekeepers. In fact, young girls are taught that she is inferior to men. This idea is emphasized repeatedly throughout her entire life by the church, who believe that God created women just to serve and obey her male counterparts. Along with the church, her husband, or any man really, stresses that women are weak creatures that are dependent on their stronger, more capable partners. It was the norm that all males were to make the decisions for women, regardless of the women’s social class. However, this is not the only way a woman’s life is dictated by the others around her, she must also be wary of her physical appearance and her body language. In public, women were watched very carefully for proper and acceptable manners and behaviors.  For example, a woman was expected to lay low when in public by avoiding confrontation with others and always keeping her eyes lowered and when in a building, she must steer away from windows. Women seldom provided their input on manners, and if they did, it was influenced by the ideas of the men around her. A woman would also be judged by her fertility, because an infertile woman would not seem as valuable since she would not be able to fulfill one of her only duties, to bear children. The clothing of a woman was also judged since she was meant to keep all of her body covered and dress modestly. Already it’s clear that women were underneath men in the social hierarchy, however, there were politics involved as well. Generally speaking, the rights and privileges that were given to men were not given to women, although a handful of women in higher classes were given some privileges that only men had. The women of societies in the fourteenth century certainly encountered hardship, criticism, and steep expectations regarding her presence and appearance.

Though women were widely seen as child bearers and housekeepers, they were able to have some economic opportunities that were similar to that of a low-class man. Women were not allowed to participate in government duties, including voting, which were only allowed exclusively for upper-class men. This is partly a result of the lack of education for women, when most were illiterate. Those who were capable of reading and writing were stuck with helping run their husband’s business and paying taxes, though these were usually working-class women. In peasant communities, however, women were allowed to take part in the heavy labor that were typically assigned to the males. These jobs included dairying, gardening, baking, and brewing of beer. Women were also responsible for the working with textiles and making clothes or weaving baskets. Nevertheless, some women were not as fortunate to have these opportunities, causing some to turn to selling their bodies in order to supply their income out of desperation to survive, particularly in poverty-stricken areas. Besides their possible economic responsibilities, women, especially married ones, are expected and responsible for caring for her children and keeping her home tidy. This was emphasized repeatedly to girls of all ages, as described previously. Women with their own children were expected to stay home and tend to them, regardless of their social class. Though women in higher classes may have a nurse to assist them, they are still expected to raise their kids even if it’s more indirect than a woman without help. Mothers who have sons are especially responsible because those young boys will grow up and become men, the essential functioning members of society. Along with the burden of raising the children, women must be able to maintain the tidiness and quality living conditions within her home. This means that she must keep her home clean, as well as making sure that the people in the household are fed. Household activities all fall under the women’s and girl’s responsibility and include the occasional washing of clothes, doing the dishes, cooking or baking, and tending to the animals if they had any. The communities during these times did not offer much in terms of a woman’s role in society and women were all caught up in working in their traditional roles with little opportunity for growth.

One of the most highlighted roles for women in this time period were to serve as mothers, and of course in order to have children they would need to be married. Most marriages were arranged and not out of love in the fourteenth century, and sometimes the woman and man did not even know each other. Instead, two families would manipulate their children’s marriage to both families’ liking. Whether it was for social, economic, or political gain, marriages were usually to increase status, wealth, and overall have an advantage. This is one of the many reasons that young women, as young as fifteen years old, were encouraged to marry and have children. Regardless of age, the process of marriage may be considered a burden for a woman’s family. When getting married, the bride’s family is expected to offer a dowry to the man’s family to serve as an incentive to marry her. These dowries typically consist of a monetary offer or land, anything that was considered valuable during that time. Consequently, the man and his family are gaining more power and wealth whereas the woman’s family is left with nothing. As we previously established, women had little to no control over their lives. From the moment she is born to the minute she’s married, she is seen as the property of her parents and all her choices were dictated by them. When she married, the woman was given to her husband and control her life instead; once the woman is wed, people considered her to be property that legally belonged to her husband. Though this does mean that the husband is responsible for his wife’s actions, since he is the one dictating her interests and behavior. An example where this is relevant would be if the woman was sued, it would ultimately mean that her husband was being charged and not the woman herself. In the case that a woman’s husband died, she would be able to take over his business and were often considered worthy merchants or artists. However, being married was not the only option for women during this time. Obviously, it is not her decision if she would be married or not, but if she happened to remain single, she would not be allowed to live alone. She would have to move in with a male relative or become a nun. Other than that, women has no other option regarding where she would live. In this medieval era, women experience numerous limitations on how they wish to live their lives, having no control whether or not they marry, who they do eventually marry, or where they may want to live.

Women experienced immense amounts of inequality in the fourteenth century. Their lives were extremely restrained by the establishment of social norms and traditions that exude misogynistic perspectives. Everyday, women were judged and watched carefully to ensure that she was presenting herself as a proper lady. Women were perceived as dependent and incapable beings rather than equals. Who she would marry was not her choice, instead her family’s, and was often used as a way to become more powerful or wealthy. Despite these clear inequalities, women were allowed to work in jobs that low-class men also participated in. Nevertheless, women have experienced countless hardships as a result of the presence of sexism in the past and even now in present-day communities. For this reason, we have worked together on a movement towards equal rights for all.