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3100 BCE
Nomadic Life (3100-700 BC)
-Men would hunt and women would gather food
-Men and woman were equal
-Gathering was the reliable source of food, not hunting
-Important Woman: -
3100 BCE
Ancient Egypt (3100-300 BC)
-Women considered nearly equal to men
-Dependent on father, brother or husband
-Important Woman: Pharaoh Hatshepsut
*ruled for 22 years
*established important trade routes
*oversaw famous expedition to the Land of Punt
*commissioned hundred of structures throughout Egypt -
753 BCE
Ancient Rome (753 BC- 476 AD)
-Could not vote or hold political office
-Chastity was emphasized
-Noble girls married as young as 12
-Important Woman: Livia Drusilla
*Also known as Julia Augusta
*Wife of Roman emperor Augustus as well as his adviser
*Mother of Tiberius
*maintained her position of power even after her husband died -
400 BCE
Ancient Christianity (400 BC- 500 AD)
-Main roles: Care givers, educationalists, missionaries
-Women were excluded from positions of power in the Church
-Christianity is a patriarchy
-Important Woman: Mary Magdalene
*traveled with Jesus as one of his followers
*said to have witnessed Jesus' death and resurrection
*In John and Mark's Gospel, she is the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection -
500
Middle Ages (500-1400)
-Witch Trials
-Marriage agreements exchanged daughters for land or other properties.
-Common Occupations: nuns, mothers, peasants, artisans
-Important Woman: Margery Kempe
*English Christian mystic
*known for writing through dictation
*wrote the first autobiography in the English language (The Book of Margery Kempe) -
1300
European Renaissance (1300-1700)
-Status of woman determined how she lived
-Marriage is highly regarded
-Common women had greater opportunity to shift in
-Important Woman: Elisabetta Sirani
*Italian Baroque painter and printmaker
*Most famous woman artist
*established an academy for other woman artists -
18th Century
-Many women died in childbirth and infant mortality was high as well. (1 in 4 children died)
-Women worked in the house
-Single women worker as spinsters, tailoresses or washerwomen
-Important Woman: Grace Elliott
*Born in Scotland
*Courtesan and spy who resided in Paris during the French Revolution
*Risked her life to assist and hide aristocrats being pursued by the Revolutionary Government -
19th Century
-Education for women was limited
-Men went to war and woman took over– when men came back the woman's suffrage movement began
-National Woman's Suffrage Movement officially started in 1869
-Important Woman: Susan B. Anthony
*American Social Reformer and Woman's Rights Activist
*Played pivotal roll in women's suffrage movement
*Founded the Women's Loyal National League which was the largest petition in US to abolish slavery -
20th Century (1900)
-19th Amendement was passed and woman gained the right to vote
-Women's organizations worked for equality
-Number of women working increased exponentially
-Woman gained the right to control their earnings, own property and in the case of divorce, fight for custody of their children
-Important Woman: Eleanor Roosevelt
*widely respected, despite controversial stances
*Pressed the US to join UN
*Became first delegate in the UN
*First chair of the UN Commission of Human Rights -
Present Day (2000)
-Women are gaining representation in politics
-Me Too and Time's Up movement- normalizing speaking out against sexual abuse
-Wage gap still prevalent– especially for women of color
-Important Women: The Silence Breakers (Taylor Swift, Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Megyn Kelly, Terry Crews)
*came forward and took action against sexual harrassment and assault
*broke the silence
*provided solidarity for sexual assault victims
