Woman’s Struggle for IndependenceWomen have had to fight for there independence.
They have been repressedfor a long period of history. Only recently have women started to gain respectas equals and individuals. Even today women are still looked down upon for theresex. From the begging of history women have been viewed as a lesser sex. In thetime Mesopotamia women we in charge of the children and the home.
In AncientEgypt women had no power or authority. Women were viewed as property. TheHebrews, alto respecting women, did not allow them to own any property or tohave an active place in government. In Rome women were not allowed to voicethere opinions.
They were viewed as lesser beings, who’s role in society was togive birth and to take care of children. They were property of there husbandsand not viewed as individuals. There husband was there master and women wepractically slaves and was often mistreated by there husband. A servant to themale sex.
During the middle ages women still has almost no rights. They still didn’thave the right to voice there opinion and were still viewed as property. If theydisobeyed there male role model they were punished. The art of the Renaissancegave women some freedom to voice there opinion about the arts and social issuesas long as there opinions weren’t very radical. However women were only theobjects in the arts.
They were the models and not the creators. They were notallowed to express themselves but only to be expressed by others. This lead intothe period of the Reformation, women were still viewed as property and thehomemakers. They did not really get there place in society.
The 17th century was the first real growth of the women’s movement. Upuntil this time women had been in the same category as property or slaves. Butas the French society moved toward revolution women began to speak of theinjustice against them. “The Vindication of Rights of Women (1792) called forthe extension of the principle of the liberty to women and urging that equalpublic education be made available for men and women” (Perry, 289).
This list ofthe right that women were lacking was one of the first attempts at creating alegislation that included women in its laws. During the scientific revolutionmen were making discoveries and coming up with new ideas all over the world. This was not possible for women because the education was not able to comparewith that of the men’s. After roll models such as Tristan Flora women startedtrying harder to become a part of the society.
They fought so that they could beintellectual individuals, and not just slaves to the male dominated society. They started thinking for themselves, having there own thoughts and ideas. Inthe modern 20th century women used the example of these women as arguments topush there cause. When the idea of Nationalism began bringing countries together it helpedwomen slightly. Yet still did not make them there equality to men. In the timeof the Industrial Revolution women began receiving jobs in factories.
Alto theywere still not treated as equals. They were paid significantly less than men forthe same days work. The majority of women still stayed at home and took care ofthe household and children. The idea of socialism brought women more respect. With the idea of socialism women gained some standing in society as close equalsto men. In a socialistic society everyone is equal, including women.
This ideaof equality women in the past could not even in vision. As the battle forwomen’s rights continued they gained the right in the United States to livefreely. They could now own land and participate in the government. At the end ofthe 19th century women began to become educated. They began to prove thereintellectual equality to men. As World War I came around women began to enterthe workforce.
With the men being killed in time of war it left a limited numberof men to work in the factories. Women began to take over these roles. They werefinally given responsibility and respect for there work. By the time of World War II women had proven themselves in the workforce. They now could find employment, alto there was still discrimination. During the1950’s woman began to fight for liberation in the workforce.
They
