Gender Roles In Renaissance Italy

Major continuities and changes regarding various views of women in the years between 1450 and 1700 include both the continuation of disdain towards women and the emergence of the idea that women are equal to men. Women were often thought to be of less value than men, an idea that originated early in history and progressed throughout this time period. Some men and women began to speak out against inequality and, whether directly or indirectly, influenced new ideas causing others to believe in the power of women.

Humans have always had a unique perspective on gender roles. Throughout history, women have somehow became less superior to men. There are multiple variables to how and why this came to be. Whether it was the agriculture revolution, influential literature, or even climate events from the Mesopotamian civilization, males have managed to be more dominant. There has also been harmful sexism perspectives passed down each generation that could have triggered what women can and cannot do. However based upon evidences drawn by numerous historian writers, there are answers to why women roles have somehow been overlooked.

I chose to write my research paper about how women obtained their rights. Women lived hard, boring lives for years and just let it happen because it was tradition but, they soon realized that they were treated unfairly. They joined together and began rallies in order to spread the word and convince the world that women deserve equal rights. The people listened to these mothers, wives, daughters--these women and they soon gained their rights. The women’s suffrage movement began with unhappy women looking to protest and fight for what they believed in and ended with them succeeding.

From the 16th to 18th century European women experienced some level of change in their roles and attitudes towards them. Ideas women were still considered inferior to men still lingered and progress of equal rights still progressed slowly. Around the time the Enlightenment rolled around women were beginning to get involved in the workforce and taking on a new, much bigger role in society.

The Elizabethan Era was a time where men were in charge and women and children were expected to obey. Nowadays, men and women have equal roles in society and one gender is not better or smarter than the other. During the Elizabethan Era, men, women, and children all had specific and defining roles.

Women’s life in the 1600’s were not your idea life. Women in the 1600s roles were very limited. Women were considered to be inferior to men. They were consider to be the weaker sex, physically and mentally. The thought was that women needed a male figure to take care of them. Women were single there Father or brother would look after them until their married. Then there husband would take over that responsibility. Women who were happy were married. Marriage was desirable for men and women. Men were considered to be the head of the marriages. Even though men were at the top they couldn’t beat or mistreat their wives. If so they would’ve been prosecuted or prevented from living with the woman. The men received the social rights to full educations, to property, and to vote, and the women were seen as, essentially, second-class citizens, relying on their husbands or fathers for near everything. Women at this time had a minimum level of education. Women were only allowed to get their education at home or at an elementary school; the luckier, upper-class women were sometimes gifted with private tutors. They weren’t allowed to enter professions such ass law, politics, medicine, politics and other high professions. They were mostly allowed to be cooks and maids. The lower jobs of society. Women usually had no life out of their home. Women who were owners of their own businesses establishments were called “Feme Sole Traders”. They didn’t have any help or support for them. They were looked down on. Women who were not

In the essay, "Did Women have a Renaissance?”, Joan Kelly-Gadol, presents a feminist insight into women's role in society during the Renaissance and how women did not have a Renaissance. While Margaret L. King, who wrote, “Women and High Power”, offers the roles of women and learning from 1300-1800 and argues that women did . The question of, “did women benefit from the Renaissance?”, is an extremely loaded question. Like every argument or question there are two sides to every story. One way, like Margaret L. King to look at this argument is that women experienced the Renaissance just like men did. Women saw the rebirth of culture, art, literature, philosophy. They experienced that just like men. A lot of noble women were able to rule.

The Judgments of Hammurabi are a set of laws that were written by a god. The laws were put in place “to promote the welfare of the people, to cause justice to prevail in the land, and so the strong might not oppress the weak.” The Tale of The Eloquent Peasant, depicts how a peasant has been robbed of his goods and how he eloquently appeals to the king for justice to be served. Both articles discuss; the division of a society’s social class, how gods/kings interpret justice and family relationships within the law.

As Simone de Beauvoir said that '' one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman''. As we can see, in this periods, male-dominated authorities rendered/defined women in a way how they want for their own interests. Briefly, women were defined/created by men rather than nature which in turn creates a critical question that is what was the women in Early Modern Europe? Wives, mother, daughter, sister; nun, heretic, saint, witch, bitch; queen, martyr, seeker and so forth.

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.

Women have always had a significant role in history even though they were treated horrible in most cases. During the Medieval Times was really the first time women were allowed to become more than just a house wife. The fight for equality has always been a struggle and even in today’s society is still an ongoing battle. Although women of lower and middle class were treated poorly in the Medieval Times, some powerful women held great responsibility and were looked up too by both men and children; despite being admired, “men were thought to be not only physically stronger but more emotionally stable, more intelligent, and morally less feeble” (Hopkins 5).

Throughout the 16th century Reformation through the Enlightenment in the 18th century, was a period of time that saw both change and continuation in European society. One of the biggest examples of this was the role of women and how they should function in European society. Women in this era faced a large amount of hardships and obstacles from great leaders and philosophers such as Martin Luther and Immanuel Kant, who were both against the equality of women to men at this time. From the time period of the 16th century Reformation all the way up to the Enlightenment in the 18th century, the women of Europe were viewed as fragile and unworkable women whose main priority and purpose should only be being a housewife. As time progressed, women

America the brave, wasn’t so beautiful during its early years. It hasn’t always been the land of the free like how it was instilled in us when we were children. I’ve grown up thinking that America had been such a place. There was countless times that America was faced with making decisions that were incredibly undemocratic. For instance , Women’s rights, religious freedom, and rights for slaves were virtually nonexistent. Occasionally the colonist made the right choices like indentured servants, who were people that worked for a certain amount of time then were allowed to go.People don’t know the truth about the unhinged history of Colonial America.

Most children at the age of three still struggle to talk, however Susan B. Anthony could already read and write. As she grew, she continued to read and gain education. She loved learning about equal rights mostly because women had very few rights during her time period. When she became an adult, she stood against segregation but she was mostly known for women's rights. Anthony was an activist for women's rights, she held conventions and attended meetings.

The early modern period writing concerning gender roles have a real relation to the thinking and debate that is seen going on in today’s world. Throughout time, women have been held responsible, demeaned, and used to further the agendas of their male counter parts. It is interesting to discover that women initially began the women’s rights movement as early as the 1500s. The woman’s suffrage movement was what won the right to vote in the 1900s. Which opened up many doors for women. However, their earlier ancestors were already fighting for the rights of women long before them. So what in the Renaissance brought about this sudden apparent interest in the equality of men and woman?