Compare And Contrast Sojourner Truth And Bhithat Al-Badiya

Women’s rights has always been a prevalent issue throughout history, this topic was usually ignored and justified by men. However this all changes in the late 19th and early 20th century, when women no longer considered themselves the lesser gender, and those silly justifications by men are rebuked and found false. Two historic advocates for women’s rights were Sojourner Truth, and Bahithat al-Badiya. Though both women came from different backgrounds, they still held similar views on gender equality. Sojourner Truth was a former slave from New York. She spent most of her life in poverty, thus most of her stances, including her “Aint I a Women Speech” came from the perspective of a poor working women. Bahithat al-Badiya was an educated Egyptian feminist, who came from an upper class family and advocated for the elite Egyptian women to be equal to man. Although these women had different upbringings, they understood the importance of motherhood and marriage. Al-Badiya was married off to a married man she hardly knew, that’s the reason why she opposed arranged marriages and polygamy. She believes a couple should marry out of love and not obligation. She also believes women should help their children specifically their daughter’s physical and mental development.

However, the only difference to their claim is how they argue it, and much of it is due to their different upbringings. Sojourner was a slave, so she can credibly say she isn’t weak, because she spent most of the day on the field working, results in her muscular physique. Al-Badiya on the other hand, came from an upper-class family and justified equal rights through education. Because she was educated, she knew women could be as smart as men, also she stressed the importance of women to seek knowledge and encourage their children to