Gender and Society Across Time PDF

gender and society across time Lesson 2 objectives  discuss the historical roots of our understanding of gender and sexuality  show appreciation of how this understanding evolved through time and how this affected various aspects of human life introduction  Society has progressed so...

gender and society across time Lesson 2 objectives  discuss the historical roots of our understanding of gender and sexuality  show appreciation of how this understanding evolved through time and how this affected various aspects of human life introduction  Society has progressed so much in a way that information and knowledge is available to everyone. This gives us an opportunity to examine our social and political conditions in more detail than when information was scarce and limited to only a few individuals.  Archeological artifacts reveal that in the distant past, during the dawn of civilizations, human societies have high regard for women.  Divine Feminine concept (the sacredness of women due to their ability to conceive children) egalitarian society (men and women have equitable power and roles)  However, humans’ discovery of paternity (fatherhood/role of the father in contraception) during the Agricultural era, changed how societies viewed women and men  Societies have privileged men over other genders  preference given to men in the productive sphere (world of public work)  while women were viewed solely capable only of reproductive affairs (world of the home and related tasks suckling the young, child rearing and home management)  Gender disparity was intensified by the Industrial era where factories were built, and men were preferred  men do not have to bear children for nine months  men’s perceived physical strength  men’s perceived physical strength patriarchy  a system based on the control and oppression of women wherein they are perceived as the weaker sex  structural and upholds the supremacy in the law, at home, in the workplace, and in society  patriarchy  from the Greek word Patriakhes meaning ‘the rule of the father’  a social system where men primarily holds power in the political and the private spheres (meaning society is organized and maintained in a way that men rule over women and their children). patriarchy  In the social, legal, political, and economic spheres, men are expected to lead while women are expected to obey and relegated to house chores, bearing children, and child care. patrilineal society  this usually follows a patriarchal society where only men can inherit property and the family name.  women were left with no inheritance and are expected to marry a man who can support her economically. patrilineal society  Women were not allowed to go to schools, or even vote because they are viewed as the weaker sex and should not concern themselves in learning science and politics.  Women had to fight for the right to vote, to go to schools, to go to work, and even participate in politics. patriarchy  viewed by most sociologists as a social construct and not as a biological phenomenon  the prehistoric hunter-gatherer tribes prioritized equality of all members, men and women  egalitarian system prevailed  men and women contribute to society, and enjoy same social status  the prehistoric hunter-gatherer tribes prioritized equality of all members, men and women  Friedrich Engels, a German philosopher and sociologist, argues that patriarchy came about when people started having private property instead of communal living.  The development in agriculture and domestication of animals led to the creation of product surplus allowing people to have private property.  As a way to control wealth generated by these advancements, male dominance was asserted over women so only the male heir can inherit family wealth  Friedrich Engels, a German philosopher and sociologist historical views on gender  Greek  Aristotle, Plato, and other Greek philosophers viewed women as the inferior sex and are properties of men whose only job was to obey their husbands, bear children, and take care of the household. They were forbidden to learn philosophy, politics, and science.  historical views on gender  Egypt  Herodotus, a Greek historian, observed the Egyptian civilization citing that Egyptian women enjoyed higher social status than Greek women because they can inherit property and engage in trade and politics. However, Greek influence quickly spread in Egypt through the conquests of Alexander the Great across Asia and Africa.  Egyptian women enjoyed higher social status than Greek women because they can inherit property and engage in trade and politics. historical views on gender  China  Confucianism has stringent written rules that dictate how women should conduct themselves. The written documents titled ‘Three obedience’s and four virtues’ and ‘Precepts of women’ states that women should obey their father, when married she is to obey her husband, and when widowed she is to obey her son. Confucianism on gender gender biases  Sexism - prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination based on sex  Gender pay gap - men earn more than women  Underrepresentation in politics, military, executive positions, etc.  Rape on women and stigma on women on how they behave gender biases  Very conservative expectations on women on how they behave  Unrealistic depictions of women in fiction, often very sexualized  Women do more housework and childcare  Boys were trained to be leaders while women were trained to do house chores  women empowerment  Women’s liberation movement, women’s movement, or feminism is a continuing series of social movements that aim to challenge the patriarchal society that creates these oppressive political structures, beliefs, and practices against women. women empowerment  First wave feminism (19th and early 20th century), spread across the western countries as women demanded for their right to vote or participate in elections and to be ably to legally own property.  women empowerment  In France, Simone de Beauvoir wrote a book titled ‘The Second Sex” in 1949 outlining how the patriarchal society disadvantages women by slowly raising her into submission and hindering their productivity and happiness by relegating them to housekeeping.  This book was instrumental in awakening women about their plight as the ‘wife-servant’ to their husbands in her famous quote ‘one is not born, but becomes, a woman’. Simone de Beauvoir  Betty Friedan (The Feminine Mystique, 1963)  Kate Millet (Sexual Politics, 1969)  Germaine Greer (The Female Eunuch, 1970) women empowerment  Le Mouvement de Liberation des Femmes or the women’s liberation movement was formed in Europe and they sought the right to education, right to work, and right to vote in the 1940s.  Later, they also won women’s right to decide on their own bodies and sexuality.  This movement views the intersectionality of economic status or class to patriarchy. women empowerment  Second wave feminism (1960s through the 80s), women drew attention to various social and cultural inequalities such as domestic violence especially marital rape, reproductive rights, wage inequality, etc.  Third wave (90s)  Fourth wave (2012 – present) United Nations reports…  Women do more work than men  Women perform 66 percent of the worlds work, produce 50 percent of the food, but earn 10 of the income and own 1 percent of the property Feminism demands….  Women suffrage  Equality in politics and society  Reproductive rights  Domestic violence  Sexual harassment and sexual violence  Other rights including right to divorce husbands, right to make decisions on her pregnancy, equitable wages, and equal employment opportunity Women suffrage  Reproductive rights  Stopping domestic violence  Sexual harassment and sexual violence  equitable wages, and equal employment opportunity End