By: William Rush Folger
China
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Similar to other agricultural civilizations in
their emphasis on unity and a powerful man in
the household
Women were subordinate to men throughout
the classical period
Gender roles changed during the Tang Song
Era
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The status of women improved in China during
the Tang dynasty and early Song dynasty.
Confucianism was widely used after its
introduction in the later Song dynasty which
stressed a hierarchy with a dominant male in
family life.
The status of women declined as Confucianism
gained popularity.
The practice of binding women’s feet which
encouraged staying at home to work was
introduced during this era.
The status of women in Chinese society improved
under the influence of the Mongols.
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Mao Zedong made great efforts at the liberation of
Chinese women.
Mao gave women rights including
Legal equality
Freedom in marriage selection
Opportunities of education and work outside the
home
This led to the support of the communist party by
many women in China.
India
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Classical India featured a strict society through the
caste system as men and women were forced to
marry in the same caste.
Family life was very rigid with male dominance as
it evolved through the Vedic and Epic Ages.
Women played a lesser role with the increased
usefulness of technology in agriculture.
Children were expected to work as families formed
economic units.
Indian society featured more strong willed women
than China in this era.
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Arranged marriages were widely used based
on economic links.
Many practices remained the same limiting
women’s rights.
Women eventually gained rights including
suffrage and restrictions on marriage and
family have largely been eliminated in present
day India.
Middle East
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Women in the Middle East played a larger
roles than those in India and China before and
after the introduction of Islam.
Women played a critical role in the economy
throughout the pre-Islam era.
Upon the introduction of Islam, gender and
family roles changed.
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Teachings of Muhammad established males
and females as equals in Allah’s eyes.
Islam advanced the placement of women in
society although certain jobs were reserved for
men
Men were still allowed 4 wives versus one
husband to women
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The status of women declined during the
Abbasid Empire
Men began to have harems and the use of veils
were required for women
Poor women worked in the economy but wives
of nobles remained at home
The subordination of women to fathers and
husbands remained prevalent throughout the
many generations that followed
Europe
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The Greek and Roman Empires had similar
gender and family roles
Society stressed a tight family structure where
the father had great authority
Women worked in the economy and had
considerable influence in the upper classes
especially in Rome
The treatment of women was not as bad as that
of China
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Women were equal to men in Christianity
Women held more political positions in the
Byzantine Empire compared Western Europe
This treatment continued until the renaissance
There became a greater emphasis on nuclear
family which included taking more effort in a
relationship with the children and marrying at a
later age
Family life became a value which continued to
present day
Women gained SUFFRAGE after World War 1 in
many European countries
Africa
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Prior to European colonization, Africa featured
an agricultural civilization much like that of
China or the Middle East at the time
Males were superior in society and polygamy
was common in many tribes
The status of women increased with the spread
of Islam
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Women were carried in the Saharan slave trade
to the Middle East for reasons which included
concubines and harems
The Atlantic Slave trade skewed the population
as they wanted mostly working males
Women participated in struggles for
independence in many new African states
The respect women gained through their
political voice in independence led to their
eventual gain of rights which included suffrage
The
Americas
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Women in the Aztec Empire had a variety of
different roles including
Peasants worked in the fields and household
Nobles often had multiple wives but peasants
would only have one
Women owned property in Aztec society
although they were inferior in politics and
social life
Women worked many hours grinding maize
due to lack of technology
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Poor women were involved in the economy
while the rich remained confined to the home
Men held more power in the home and in
politics which continued until the late 19th
century
Women began to demand more rights as
opportunities in work and education began to
be offered to them
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The status of women declined during the Song
Dynasty in China.
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The status of women mostly increased with the
spread of Islam.
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Throughout the dark ages, women were
treated better in western Europe compared to
that of Eastern Europe(Byzantine Empire).
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The term used to family life after the
renaissance in Europe is “nuclear family”
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Women are equal to men in Allah’s eyes.
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Mao Zedong was against the advancement of
women’s rights in China.