In history, and present time, many events foreshadow women obtaining more rights and becoming equal with men. Many people think that women have not gained much power, or are losing it. I on the other hand, believe that women’s rights have not died down but progressed over time. In many circumstances, women have proved themselves, and have gained power over time. Sometimes this power was even seen as a problem.
Throughout history, there has always been a rivalry between the two sexes and in the end the women have always come in second place. Time over time it has been proven difficult for women to hold any type of power that they have wanted except for the tasks that they have been given due to their gender. In society and in their own homes, it has been difficult for women to grow and sustain their power beyond the limits that they have been given. Women have been differentiated from men and have been discriminated with regard to jobs and other types of privileges that they have wanted. Throughout the course of history, they have been denied many freedoms that every man has and they want to be equal to their counterparts.
In comparison to men, women were thought to be fragile and innocent. This was mostly because of the Code of Chivalry which caused men to be kinder and more gentlemanly to women creating a romanticized image of women. She was overall respected and not normally deceived. The role of women during the medieval time period was also particularly different from the ones of the classical period. The women were involved in the public affairs of the estate, unlike Greek and Rome.
The Enlightenment ideas had a very small impact on women because of society’s views at the time. During the time of the Enlightenment, reasoning and logic became the top priority for many people instead of faith and religion. There was also a rise in questioning the government and human rights. These ideas were spread through many philosophers like Rousseau, Locke, Hobbs, and many more. However, these new ideas of education and freedom did not really apply to women or people considered inferior in society.
Women’s Roles In The Middle Ages During medieval times, women’s lives varied greatly and they had multiple different roles they could play in life. Women today have many more options than they did back then, but even so, not all women in the Middle Ages were like they are shown in the movies. They are often portrayed as obedient wives whose only jobs were to care for the children and keep up the household, but that was not always the case. Although women did not have much say in what they did, the different paths in life that they were born into, married into, or chose were very different.
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.
The Enlightenment is the period in the history of western thought and culture that took place from the 1650s-1700s marked by dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics. Women played a major role in these revolutions throughout the Enlightenment Period. Women, especially in France, substantially helped to promote the careers of the philosophes. Montesquieu argued that the status of women in a society was the result of climate. Jean Jacques Rousseau declared that women of the view that men and women occupy separate spheres.
Women in the church not only sacrificed all they had in life to become closer to God, but also provided the essentials for younger children to be able to succeed in life. The Medieval Church offered exclusive roles for leadership and guided women to become one with the church. Mostly all of the population during the Medieval Era, also known as the Middle Ages, believed in a Christian God and followed the practices and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Religion, to men and women, was most important during this time and was the center of their lives. The Middle Ages began in the fifth century and lasted until the time of the Renaissance in the late 1400’s.
During the High Middle Ages, the population of Europe increased greatly which allowed trade to prosper and the Medieval Period climate to change. The political structure where knights and lower-status nobles owed military service to their overlords in return for the right to rent from lands and manors, were two of the ways society was organized in the High Middle Ages. Men during this time was seen as this prestige figure versus women, they are seen less. Women were taught to be a “good wife” to their husbands by cleaning, cooking home food, and taking care of the children.
The Enlightenment of the 18th century began the age of questioning old ways and the creation of new and modern ideas. How did these Philosophers use their ideas to influence our lives today? Both Nicolas De Caritat and Mary Wollstonecraft were philosophers during the Enlightenment Era who played a big role in changing the values and beliefs of the whole world especially towards women. Before this age women were believed to be idle and soft beings who couldn’t process or produce intellectual ideas. Caritat and Wollstonecraft influenced the ideas of the enlightenment, and impacted the government today by showing the world that women have minds capable of producing intelligent ideas.
The Medieval period spanned from the 5th to the 15 century. Europe remained a dynamic and fascinating time in human history. The It would inevitably clash with the renaissance. Before this, the period had a version of how women were treated, how the church ruled, and the devastating effects of the largest pandemic on earth.
There are many ways women are being discriminated and looked down upon for the chance for a change and their voice to be heard equally. For today’s society, women have not ran for president of the United States before. However, the election is going on right now, and Hillary Clinton is running for president. Similarly, other countries have had women as leaders and there has been no problem to that. Women 's rights had not started until 1848-1920 by passing the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote There is still a great deal of work to do to secure women’s rights, however..
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.
The protestant reformation was a 16th to 17th century religious upheaval that changed the lives of many Europeans. Martin Luther was a catalyst for the reformation when he expressed his doubts over the legitimacy of indulgences. His 95 Theses started the break from the Catholic Church and later started the movement known as the Protestant Reformation. Although women were not able to completely break away from the social norms in the 17th century, the Protestant Reformation was a catalyst for future independency for women.
Before the French Revolution women’s equality was frequently overlooked in society. This was because society did not see women as a persecuted group within society. An example of this was when Rousseau(a prominent enlightenment philosopher) published a book called Emile, in which he stated that women were only good for the kitchen and childcare. In addition