While the role and treatment of women in China and Persia were alike in that they were inferior to the men because of the patriarchal societies at the time. They differed in that woman in Persia had a greater role in government while women in China were overshadowed by the men in all aspects of society due to Confucius beliefs and filial piety.
Unlike the male-dominated societies during this time, Persian women were viewed as important assets in Persian society and were given equality in almost all aspects of life, such as the military, business, religion, ruling and marriage. However, men held higher positions than women. In this current patriarchal world, women were expected to marry and have children, but in Persia, woman did not have
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The women could not choose their spouse like the Persian, instead their father would arrange a marriage for them and the mother had no say in it. The women were to be submissive to the males which follows filial piety that a women should obey her husband. Unlike Persia, it was very uncommon and difficult for a woman to divorce her husband while the husband was able for a number of reasons. With the exception that if the husband died, a widow could choose to remarry and to whom. Furthermore, women were expected to give birth, especially sons, who would be able to carry on the family name. Chinese women's main job was to be good wives and mothers. They were to do household work such as cooking, sewing and helping with farming. However, if a woman was to be widowed, she would be able to get a job like weaving or selling items in a market to support her family. Women were always seen as inferior in society. With the exception of the women in the imperial family, especially the empress, who was allowed to give orders to anyone including males. While women were viewed as inferior beings to men throughout their life, Chinese women influenced society by bearing children to make them become strong, respectful Chinese
Empress Wu’s ability to control society in a functional manner and better China over the course of her reign was able to prove how a women was able to be much more than what society and men wanted them to
Life in the ancient river valley civilizations was different for each region. A perfect example would be the Egyptians river and the Yellow river both are river valley civilizations but each have different geography, social structures, beliefs, gender roles, literature, weapons and technology. In the Egyptian river valley geography is very important, they relied on the Nile rivers floodings that lasted about 4 months providing them with fresh waste free soil the many seas surrounding this civilization acted as a barrier aiding them in war and fighting off diseases. As for the Yellow river civilization geography affected them negatively its surroundings make it difficult to trade crops and livestock so they have to dedicate themselves greatly to producing their own food.
They were put to work doing laundry, cleaning up after them, and cooking for them. Some women even went out to war and tried to disguise themselves as men so they would not have to do all of the work the rest of the woman were doing. Some women were even prostitutes or some were “temporary wives” to several of the soldiers. These women were not treated very nicely and were often looked down upon from the public. However several woman that came from wealthier families did not have to do this.
Women in both cultures were considered subordinate. They were expected to follow after their husbands, all while being respectful, executing wifely orders/duties and overall, playing their role in society. While the preceding traits varied slightly between the two countries, women in the Han Dynasty, unlike Athenian women, were granted the gift of humility if they were to abide by their husbands wishes and commands. “…if a woman lacked these three traits, she will have no name to preserve and will not be able to avoid shame” (Document R). If a woman in the Han Dynasty were to follow the traits and values, as presented in Ban Zhao’s “Admonitions for Girls” then she would be able to avoid shame and achieve a state of
Environment and Development There were many new world crops for the Spanish to cultivate, one being maize. This became a staple in their society. A century after Columbus had crossed the ocean; New Spain had become a strong empire. The access to furs had a strong influence on the New French way of life.
Cook, clean, child raising, ect. A housewife. There is nothing wrong with being a housewife, though there were many women who did not want that from life, they wanted the vote, they wanted to be able to go for parliament, to be accepted into the same jobs men were and to receive the same pay. But also the respect they deserve.
This is why women were believed to be unequal to men. Outside sources say that women were mostly free to do what they wanted until they got married. Unmarried women and widows were allowed to get jobs that didn’t need degrees in. Most women were expected to get married at younger ages. Those who didn’t get married went to work on farms or in people’s houses.
Confucian ideas highlight the need to have a heir, thus the Emperor need to be sexually active, which explains the very large number of women in the inner court. However, according to Confucian ideals, the Emperor was not supposed to retain any pleasure from this encounters. therefore leading to a paradox hard to overcome by the Emperor and even harder to enforce by the outer court officials depute their moral concerns. Song women were also granted for the first time considerable legal rights. In fact, Song Dynasty is seen as a high point for women property point in China, further challenging Confucian traditional patrilinality.
For instance, the men were hunters or went to war to prohibit anything lethal to their families. On the other hand, the women were farmers and took care of their children while cooking as well. Moreover, “Only men became Mandan chiefs, but both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine”(source A). Women actually got recognition for arts and sacred ceremonies( source D).Similar to children know they did have dolls and other games. However, the children did get to play, but not as much because they had more chores (source A).
Women play a vital role for the human population. Although women populate the earth with humans, women have little rights. During the 1500s and twentieth century, women had little rights in labor and productivity. Women often resided as housewives; caring for children, cooking and cleaning. Often, females did not receive proper education and forced to work in unsafe and sanitary working conditions, such as sweat factories or field work.
It is universally acknowledged that society is made up of two parts—the men and the women. The Ottoman empire was no exception. From the 13th century to the early 20th, the Ottoman empire held a central role in the world of global politics, commerce, and culture. They conquered vast lands, spread Islam, and created a rich and glimmering culture. But, one must recognize that women, because they make up half of the population, played an important role in Ottoman society as romantic partners and financial agent; however, women were also dealt the role of being subservient to men.
Importance of religion in Iran and its society is a crucial point in this graphic novel, Persepolis: A Story of a Childhood. It was mentioned in the novel how the society was corrupted when the Shah took charge. When the Shah took over, this lead to the many rebellions and demonstrations Iran had in order to keep the peoples freedom. The significance of women and how they were treated was also affected when everything changed during the 1980’s. Women are treated not only like trophy wives but they also did not have any sort of freedom for themselves.
Even though women had more independence in Egypt compared to other societies, equality among the sexes was not apparent. There were certain roles in societies that were strictly male or female, causing a limited choice on careers and within the job had certain tasks relating the gender. For example, it was obtainable for both men and women to be servants but within that, they acquired different responsibilities. Men worked with the beer and meat, brewing and butchering it: and women dealt with grounding grain and baking bread. Throughout the kingdoms, an evolution of gender roles in society took place.
In ancient times, there is a general sense that women were simply items and slaves to their husbands. Ancient Greece specifically has a renowned reputation of favoring men. Men possessed the dominant role in public affairs and events while most women were pressured to stay at home. Very few records extensively discuss women; the records focus mostly on men. Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts.
Different societies view women in different lights. Therefore, a woman’s position is greatly different from one society to the other. The societies in question do not necessarily have to exist at the same time. Even in the same time frame, two societies could exist, where one treat women as equals to men, and another that treats women differently than men, whether better or worse. The societies in question are: Mesopotamia, Greece, China, Rome & Europe, and this essay aims to study different societies’ viewpoints on women, and to compare and contrast them against each other.