Colonial Women In The 17th Century Essay

Introduction Women in the Middle ages were treated as the second class members within their social class. They were taught to be obedient to their husbands and were expected to run the household and raise children. Their role in the society, however, was much more complex, while some medieval women achieved a high level of equality with men. In the Middle Ages women had a secondary role, coming second after men. Women’s life was divided between family, marriage and religion.

This movement was the building blocks to why women have the rights we have now. The Women 's Liberation Movement was one of the more known feminist movements that happened after World War II. This event motivated women in developed countries to want the right to be something other than a stay-at-home mom and housewife. Women felt they deserved to be treated like men, meaning wanting the same pay and job opportunities. Women working wasn 't a topic usually discussed because women weren’t really allowed to voice their opinion on many topics that were important to them.

The two characters that represent humility, modesty, and helplessness are Mariane from Tartuffe and Belinda from The Rape of the Lock. During the 17th and 18th century, women were not treated very nice. They had little authority regarding anything. Women were owned by the men, and whatever the men said, the women would do. According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, "Unmarried virgins and wives were to maintain silence in the public sphere and give unstinting obedience to father and husband, though widows had some scope for making their own decisions and managing their affairs."

Women lacked the freedom and independence they not only wanted but needed due to a society run patriarchal views that hindered the growth of women. Not only were they expected to reside in the home but women were also tied down through marriage with the expectation of blindly following their husband without challenging their authority. Kate Chopin’s short story, “Story of an Hour”, uncovers the chilling truth of how women were perceived to have longed and enjoyed marriage during the 18th and 19th century when in actuality many felt confined, trapped and imprisoned due to what society and men wanted them to do. The story reveals that the impending pressures of having to become a good wife and mother along with patriarchal societal oppression oftentimes pressures a woman into experiencing a psychological breakdown that can result in fatal consequences. Chopin begins the story with the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, being told

Though these are hardships that nobody should have to go through, issues involving discrimination and bigotry helped her to realize her dream and defeat the racism that is presented to her. Mama deals with many forms of gender stereotyping throughout the play, both from society and from her own family. In this time period, women were paid a lot less than men and were still seen as lower-ranking and submissive humans even though they endured difficult tasks during wartime (Gardiner). Women in the 1950s were treated as inferior than men; therefore, men were taught to be the head of the house over a woman. Throughout the book, Walter and Mama fight over the head of the house.

The Renaissance’s attitude towards gender and sexuality was completely different from that of the Middle Ages, which considered women as dangerous sexual creatures. "For the first time in Western history," for example, "men stressed the fact that females should be educated. The Platonic orientation in humanist thought may have spurred them to do so" (Bell, 182). (mohja)Actually, the primary purpose behind the call for women’s education was not to heighten her position in society, or to “overturn her subordinate domestic role”, but to make her a better wife and mother. Indeed, it was only the high rank women who were allowed to be educated*.

Elizabethan and Jacobean periods are the eras in which Shakespeare’s plays were developed and the characters of his plays were influenced by the social context. The way women were treated, their social status, the roles that they were supposed to accomplish and the expectations set for them in those times are reflecteIn the England of the sixteenth and seventeenth century, as well as in the rest of Europe, women were considered to be inferior to men and their roles were very well defined: “daughters and wives, sisters and mothers.” (Kemp Theresa D., 29). These roles, the women’s social standing and their marital status had a crucial part in defining the women. Also, it has no importance if she was a mother, a wife or a widow, her personality

Using these words, the authors draw the line of distinction between the roles of “the saint” and “the whore” (200). Secondly, independent women in fairy tales were often associated with the concept of evil because they menaced the patriarchal order itself (203). No longer relying on men for emotional or economic support, these women were harder to control (203). However, back in the days when these tales were crafted, “most women had not been by tradition so fortunate as to enjoy the economic independence that would enable them to run their lives as wished” (203). As a result, their roles in society were entirely defined by their relationships with men (207).

Women now are much more intelligent, powerful, and of course beautiful. Compared to the 18th century where women were described as more like servants towards the husband, they could not say anything or do as they please just like in the story; even in marriage. In this time, women were below men, and this is because men have been given this power of supremacy over their wives once they became husband and wife. After reading this story for the first time, it was very clear right way that during that time women was portrayed as a prisoner to their husbands. However, this should be common knowledge that marriages in all different forms are not always about mutual feelings.

These powerful leaders influenced women to become increasingly independent through the decades. Many people, groups, and ideas not only altered the image of women and what defined feminism, but what women could do in society, and what women could dream of doing. The appearance, actions, and ambition of women through the 1950’s and 1960’s was influenced by many people and ideas. Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s women’s appearance changed. From onscreen to the city streets, there was often a difference between outside image and inner reality.