Women’s History essay
Struggles have characterized women’s history concerning their position in society. In early modern England was a time that significantly defined the efforts since the defining factor at the time was the popular culture. Susan Dwyer Amussen explains a popular culture as a way of life that is popularly accepted by society, such as popular festivals, rituals, and other practices that defined who society was. Popular culture was the primary determinant of how gender relationship at this particular time was shaped. However, what characterized the women’s history in Early England was the fight for gender equality, which to date still poses a problem. In early modern England, one of the popular cultures included women’s subordination. Popular culture allowed subordination since society believed that it was the only way to maintain order within the household.
The life of women in the past, the role they played, and the way it has evolved to the present day is a very fundamental study. The development and growth of women’s power and rights in society from the past to the present is a crucial study as the scholars researching early modern England have indicated. The women’s history aspect was formally taken into consideration in the 1500s[1]. Dwyer, in her work ”The Gendering of Popular Culture in Early Modern England shows that popular cultures were the real reason as to why gender differences existed since the society accepted that subordination was a required factor for the household to exists[2]. The feminist movements and their opinions had earlier being ignored and barely put in the historical books. For this reason, the feminist wave at this time made it known that their rights of being included in the history books were being neglected. Though there were previous attempts by some writers to bring out the women’s history before, they were not well organized and prepared as the feminist wave. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Capp’s research revisits early modern England women’s history, focusing mainly on the double standard that existed at that time. Capp explains that during this time, female sexuality was regarded by men as male possession. Due to this belief, the double standard was pronounced less, especially among the middle classes. However, most of the puritan writers disputed the double standard aspect since they pushed for gender morality. The Thomas’s model developed by Laura Gowing shows that women were very active during early modern England to in the campaign to enforce the concept of female honor focusing mainly on sexual honesty[3]. The belief that most critical past women events have been ignored and not recorded, their contribution to the society in various areas, and the impact of the historical event too have propelled the study[4]. On that note, the study tries to expand and add more traditional women events that had been left out. The feminist wave historians were acting as the activists for women liberation researched on the women’s past, their oppression and denial of rights as well as their lives in general, on which they found very little documentation, much being on men involved in politics, war, administration, and diplomacy. The historical worth of women was disregarded as they could only be mentioned as wives, mothers, daughters, or sisters.
Anthony Fletcher’s work ”Manhood, the Male Body, Courtship and the Household in Early Modern England” weighs in on the journey taken by women trying to change the aspect of being viewed as subordinates in the society in early modern England. In early England, the well-organized first group to decide to put into consideration the women’s history was the United Daughters of Confederacy[5]. Protectorate Middlesex acted as activists and emphasized and empowered women to be leaders. They stepped up when the men left for war as this was in the early 20th-century[6]. Fletcher’s work shows that one of the fundamental factors clearly distinguishing men and women, and placing them in different categories in life is the Bible. The ideology of gender in this period was entirely based on the Bible. Between the 1590s and 1640s, the dominant view in the Christian tradition was the inferiority of women as well as their direct subordination to men[7]. Women’s work was left out and ignored, and the men’s history continued to dominate until in the early 1960s when the opportunity of the first course in college on women’s history was offered which was after great efforts[8]. By 1970, the women’s movement had grown, and new social accounts erupted[9]. Women were also given a chance to undertake history courses and graduate, and by 1972, Masters of Art in Women History program had already started[10]. In the past recent years, history has accommodated women in most of its work in the United Kingdom, considering most of the historical documents and reports are gender-based. More students on women’s history have been enrolled, and websites on the topic availed, for instance, Women and Social Movements in the United Kingdom[11].
The traditional women in England were in charge of the household duties, bearing and bringing up children, wives, middle wives, neighbours, and friends. The tasks that made it to history were done by men until the war season when women had to step up to provide for their families. After the war, women were put back to their place, and men undertook their work and role. This was until the 18th century when women stepped out and fought for equality for their pay and were enforced as a law[12]. For Eastern Europe, the women’s history study came later. The educational system resisted the women’s movement due to the political instability and the minimal support by other institutions on the matter. This made it hard for women to be a subject of history and their women’s rights movement role pushed away at the beginning of the 20th-century[13]. After the collapse of communism, in the 1980s, prominent women in the country’s research was carried out in cultural and political historical fields, and their biographies developed[14]. Even with all this happening, institutional support was still lacking, evidence being the lack of college programs on women’s history.
Martin Ingram focuses on how women, especially those that opted to be activists, were treated in early modern England. Since it was the norm for women to work in the fields or buy and sell in the market, female activists were undoubtedly restricted in many ways. They were restricted from the spheres of both work and play. At this period, women were entirely excluded from holding any public position of authority, and as such, they played very little or no part in legal processes[15]. For France, the programs in colleges on women’s history are not yet put in place[16]. However, women’s history domain has been well researched in the academic research of social history. The society has a high interest in women and gender making it the reason for the in-depth analysis and many publications on the issues[17]. There is, however, change occurring in the academic system of France about gender and women history study due to the increased international studies on the subject and French students seeking knowledge outside the country.
The Scottish women’s movement, in England, back in the 19th century, was not considered as a field of interest to scholars until the late 20th century when it was developed and published[18]. Most studies on Scottish women have taken the biography style, research being on family, employment, culture, religion, and the image of the women. Sources being from poetry, court records, tones in letters and memoirs[19]. Much growth has occurred in the sector and increasing interest by scholars to undertake the women’s history studies not just in Britain but also in other parts of the word. More profound studies on the field are expected in the future, increasing the information and details of the current Scottish women’s movement for a more complex text[20]. The studies were uncommon in Ireland by 1990, but a lot has changed as there are plenty of books and articles on gender and women history.
The young women in the German traditions were under the control of their fathers until they married and became subjective to their husbands. This was before the 19th century. For a wedding or marriage to take place, a woman had to provide the dowry, which, if from a wealthy family, the parents provided it but if from a low-income family, the woman had to work hard to pay the dowry[21]. The law allowed women to have property rights over the dowry as well as inheritance. For a long time, women taken as mere wives and mothers. The high- class or the educated families, women, needed to be well equipped with knowledge and intelligence to help out their husbands[22]. For the low- class, women needed to be produced economically to help their husbands in the day in day out expenses. The unmarried were despised and would only work in the relative’s households with on pay[23]. The middle-class women sewed to earn to support and contribute to the family expenses in the late 19th century. By this time, women had formed an organization, Allgemeiner Deutscher Frauenverein ( ADF) which was aimed at gaining rights for education, better jobs and participation in political issues[24]. Decades down the line, their demands improved as they wanted equal treatment as men in terms of pay and treatment at job places. In the early 20th century, women in Germany gained the right to participate in political affairs and late given the right to vote. Women had significant social and political growth, especially in Nazi Germany. During the war in the 1940s, women were given jobs in the public sectors as factories were many and replacements of men that were in the war. Their wages remained less than that of men, and they were not allowed to lead.
”English Masculinities 1660-1800”, research done by Tim Hitchcock and Michele Cohen, chapter nine of the work, explains the scandalous life of Robert Foulkes, which in a nutshell was from a Christian family and ended fathering a bastard son. The story which is an actual example of how rumors were spread without facts and more to the disadvantage of the woman protagonist in the story explains how women were viewed as inferior in early modern England and could not stand trial in a court of law on matters pertaining households[25].The evolution of women’s rights from the past to the modern has dramatically changed. Very few women had power in the society; they were subjected and termed to be destined for domestic chores, bearing and rearing children[26]. The modern society terms this as preconditions, and women have an equal opportunity as men. In the Salic law, women could not rule, but this law was changed when a king died, and the son, the heir to the throne was very young to rule. Therefore, the queen had to step up to ensure the throne remained in the family before the son was of age. The need for a more educated person in society significantly led to the provision of education to women. The states and religion centers needed intelligent employees, thus provision of education to the women. By this, girls got formal education, but it was not for leadership or political positions. It was merely to help them read, familiarize themselves with God as they worked. Women were considered inferior to lead[27]. For higher education, boys would get the chance to join universities while girls would remain at home or take more uncomplicated courses; mostly, home knowledge is what they gained.
The social and human rights of women were despicable for a long time in the history of females across the world. In England, feminist movements went a long way to abolish the notion of women in the society that was there for ages. The restrictions of women to some roles without any considerations were what the movements wanted to change. Britain still holds the feminist movement to ensure women are not oppressed by any chance and have continued to improve the notions of what a woman should be and fighting for their equality[28]. Capitalism made women lose their economic power to men. Before, women carried out some of the financial activities in their homes, both agriculture, and industry, in England by the 16th century. The running of the farm and participating in trade gave them some equality with men. The striking of capitalism in the 17th century led to the division of labor where men would have paid jobs outside the homestead while women were left to carry out the household chores. The low-class women had to look for very poorly paying duties as they had to help with providing for their families. For these reasons, the capitalist era impacted very negatively to the lives of women. The modern economy comprises of women being offered jobs at private sector retails and as clerks to contribute to the family expenses. According to the use of statistics in 1870, women were well distributed in all the occupations. Many of them had been enrolled in factories and as teachers. Others worked in hospitals as dentists and nurses, lawyers in law firms, ship riggers, among others.
The history of women’s marriages in different world regions differed. The age at which women were married was determined by the social status given to women. It also established the economic situation of a country as women who take long to marry are said to impact positively on the economy compared to those that marry at a younger age[29]. In the modern world, the marriage age for women has risen due to the opportunities given to them to have a formal job. Certain countries, such as China, Egypt, Japan, among others, have, however, shown a very minimal change in the women’s marriage age. Abortion has been present from ascent times but was termed unclean and taboo. The legalization of abortion in the20th century brought about differences in the societies and religions[30]. Women’s clothing in the past was determined by different roles, society, and even seasons. The wearing of trousers was restricted to men for a long time, and women wearing them as disrespectful. In some other societies like the ancient Greek, Persian men wearing pants was seen as a manifestation trait. Victorian fashion for women was a sign of being in charge. Different countries, for instance, France, gave mixed reactions to several of their styles.
Garthine Walker is one of the scholars contributing to the history of women in early modern Europe, specifically England. She indicates that the female and male honour was represented as incommensurable. Among the factors addressed includes difference, economic and professional competence, physical power as well as avoidance of public ridicule[31]. During this period, the role of women, which was attending to the house chores, bearing and rearing children, changed. Men’s wages could not sustain the families; therefore, women had to give a hand by working harder to assist in paying the home expenses[32]. Women were not allowed to ask their husbands any questions which seemed to undermine their authority in the household even when the husband is conducting themselves in a discourteous way. Women in a Catholic Church in Canada went against the teachings of the church by opting for contraceptives to control birth rates[33]. They increased their agricultural farms, intending to increase the productivity and earnings from them. In modern society, women tackle the issue of insufficient funds in households differently by innovating better techniques that those of the past.
Women’s history contributes significantly to the wholesome study of history. Ignoring the contributions and the role of women in the society leaves a gap, and the research is usually incomplete, writing women back to the historical impact very positively, mostly to the young girls reading it. Recognition of women in terms of their contribution and achievements in various fields enables the growth of confidence and determination for the young women being formed. The active roles women played in the past were ignored and barely put in the historical books. Many were made to work behind the successful men to ensure success is maintained, but they were never recognized. The assumption that the historians in the past found it not worthy of women being put into the history books made it evident of them not looking into women’s history. With that leaving a gap in the history research, more need to be done on women’s history to uncover the many contributions and achievements of women in the community.
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