Women’s Lives Throughout Time

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Since the creation of time women have always had to submit to the power and authority of men; starting with ancient civilizations such as Egyptian and Greek and up to the Renaissance period women had always come second to men. The powers in government, roles in society, and duties at home during these two time periods have moderately transformed over time but continued to be suppressed by the male dominant figure leading up to and through out the Renaissance period. Therefore continuing to limit the advancement of women by creating an unequal and mediocre social order.

Ancient Egyptian women had more freedoms and rights than most women had in other ancient civilizations. The women of this era had different roles and freedoms and whether it was in government, society, or at home they were significant in shaping who they were at that time. When it came to government laws Egyptian women had the same rights as men; women during this time could manage, own, and sell private property’ they could also trade, negotiate, and inherit property. Unlike women in other ancient civilizations such as Greece, women in Egypt could play a role in the court system; they were able to institute litigation, appeal to the court of the vizier, awarded legal decisions, and could act as legal witness in a court of law. Women could go out in public without a male guardian and more ordinary women worked alongside male family members as midwives, beer sellers, healers, market sellers among other things. Women in ancient Egypt had the opportunity to have as much freedoms as they could possibly have; and unlike women in other ancient civilizations they were able to inherit money without a male guardian overseeing it.

Even with all th...

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Meskell, Lynn. Private life in New Kingdom Egypt . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.

Robinson, C. E.. Everyday Life in Ancient Greece. New York: AMS PRESS INC., 1977.

Sider, Sandra. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005.

Singley, Carol J., and Sweeney, Susan E. eds. Anxious Powers. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993.

Taylor, Jennifer. "The Women of Athens." Ancient Greek Civilizations. Available from http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/culture/womenofathens.html. Internet; accessed 12 April 2010.

Tyldesley, Joyce. "The Status of Women in Egyptian Society." Available from http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/womneg.htm. Internet; accessed 10 April 2010.

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