Gender & Society: Historical Roots of Gender

• Lesson 2 explores gender and society across time.
• One objective is to discuss the historical roots of the understanding of gender and sexuality.
• Another objective is to show appreciation for how ideas evolved and affected aspects of human life.
• Society has progressed so much that knowledge is now available to everyone.

Historical Roots of Gender Understanding

• Archeological artifacts indicate that ancient societies held women in high regard.
• The Divine Feminine concept reflects the sacredness attributed to women's childbearing ability.
• Egalitarian societies feature equitable power and roles between men and women.
• Paternity during the Agricultural era shifted societal views on women and men, and preferences were given to men in the productive sphere.
• Women were largely viewed as capable only of reproductive affairs.
• The Industrial era intensified gender disparity as factories preferred men.

Patriarchy

• Patriarchy is a system controlling and oppressing women, who are seen as the weaker sex.
• It's a structural system upholding male supremacy in law, home, workplace, and society.
• The term "patriarchy" comes from the Greek word Patriarkhes, meaning "the rule of the father”.
• Patriarchy is a social system where men primarily hold power in the political and private spheres.
• Socially, legally, politically, and economically, men are expected to lead, while women obey.
• Women are often relegated to housework, childbearing, and childcare.
• Patrilineal societies often follow patriarchal structures, with only men inheriting property and family names.
• Women are left without inheritance and are expected to marry a man who can support them economically.

Historical Views on Gender

• In ancient Greece philosophers like Aristotle and Plato considered women inferior and the property of men.
• Herodotus, a Greek historian, noted that Egyptian women had higher social status than Greek women.
• Egyptian women could inherit property and participate in trade and politics.
• Confucianism in China had written rules dictating female conduct.
• Documents, like 'Three obedience's and four virtues' and 'Precepts of women' dictate that women obey their father, husbands, or sons.
• The Three Obediences are to the father, husband, and son.
• The Four Virtues are industry, appearance, speech, and behaviour.

Gender Biases

• Sexism is defined as prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination based on sex.
• A gender pay gap means men earn more than women.
• Women are typically underrepresented in politics, the military, and executive positions.
• Rape on women exists with stigma often placed on the woman's behaviour.
• Conservations on how Women behave leads to unrealistic depiction of women in fiction.
• Women often do more housework and childcare.
• Boys are often trained to be leaders, while women are trained to do household chores.

Women Empowerment

• The women's liberation movement, or feminism, is a continuous series of social movements.
• First-wave feminism occurred 19th and early 20th centuries), women demanded voting rights and the right to own property.
• Second-wave feminism occurred 1960s-80s, and during this period is when women drew attention to social and cultural inequalities on domestic violence.
• The 1990s had third-wave feminism.
• Fourth-wave feminism began in 2012 and is ongoing.
• Women do more work than men.
• Women perform 66% of the world's work, produce 50% of the food, but earn 10% of the income and own 1% of the property.
• Feminism demands women's suffrage.
• Feminism demands equality in politics and society.
• Feminism demanded reproductive rights.
• Feminism demands an end to domestic violence.
• Feminism demands an end to sexual harrassment and sexual violence.
• Feminism demands other rights including the right to divorce, the right to make decisions during pregnancy, equitable wages, and equal employment opportunities.