Explanation of Timeline of Events
Remains of Patriarchy
The modern world we live in is still a very patriarchal one. Female infanticide is still practiced in Southern China and India and, millions of girls living in the Middle East still undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Discrimination against women is not the only sign of women being subservient to men. We ourselves still take after our fathers' surnames. Many women still do not have access to education and voting rights. Do not get us wrong, this is not an essay on Feminism but a basic explanation of the timeline of events that had impacted the struggle between men and women.
It is necessary to show the traces of patriarchy or female discrimination which has evolved from millenniums of patriarchy in the 21st century as this "dynamism" has been essentially one-sided for the past 5000 years. Our modern civilisation is built upon male dominance even though this is gradually changing at different pace around the world. In fact, strictly-speaking, most modern sociologists and anthropologists do not believe that in any point in history, a matriarchal society has ever existed. One of the closest "female dominance" we can get whereby societies focus on women and especially mothers though not necessarily dominated by women or mothers (Anthropologist R. L. Smith, 2002) is the Nair community living in Kerala, South India. (Male dominance and female dominance will be further discussed in separate articles.)
A Basic Timeline
For now, a basic timeline and explanation will be given in this part of the website. Only significant events pertaining to the struggle of Man and Woman that has led up to where we are now in our modern civilisation of the 21st century will be included.
The beginning of Patriarchy
The Bronze Age
As mentioned before, the modern world today is evolved from a patriarchal society. We cannot pinpoint the origins of patriarchy as there are many ongoing debates regarding this issue. However, as JS Mill wrote, since "the very earliest twilight of human society", the patriarchal order was assumed as the natural order of society. But if we do have to place the earliest milestone in time, the Bronze Age (3500BC- 1100BC) in the Ancient Near East (in today's term, the Middle East) would be the starting point of patriarchy.
Somewhere in 2000BC, institutionalisation happened and by the end of it in 500-600BC, men had rights which women had little or none. (This is perhaps one reason why Greek philosophy and science as well as the Bible, which the western civilisation is built upon and has greatly shaped the modern world, do not place much emphasis on women.) One main reason for this "natural order" is the advantageous physical strength which men possess. When the agrarian revolution was completed, Man had more surpluses to focus on other things. On the other hand, intensification of warfare came with the Bronze Age. Tribes were able to conquer others for more land and it was advantageous for women to ally themselves with men to gain security for themselves and their children. Therefore, patriarchy was perhaps a natural and suitable solution in a war-torn era.
A Cross Reference to the Oriental World
There is no concrete evidence as to when an egalitarian society moulded into a patriarchal one in Asia. However, one of the earliest records of validation for patriarchy is the teachings of Confucius. Confucianism places a lot of emphasis on men and preaches a lower status of women as compared to men. This shows that male dominance has already been quite deep-seated even before 500 BC. Confucianism is developed by Confucius who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. It was further developed by his disciples. Similar to the Bronze Age in the Ancient Near East, patriarchy was institutionalised during a warring period.
Male Dominance
Almost complete male dominance spanned for thousands of years with empires built and fell such as the Roman Empire, Egyptian Empire and Umayyad Empire etc., not to mention endless conquests and warfare during long periods such as the Dark Ages. In fact, during the Han dynasty, a female historian, namely Ban Zhao wrote that women should abide to the Four Virtues which subordinated women. Of course, there were the rare cases of female leaders such as Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria of England, Queen Isabella of Spain, Cleopatra, Empress Wu Zetian and Empress Ci Xi etc. However, these were not signs of female dominance nor were these periods turning points which had changed the relationship between the two sexes. This is because the roles of men and women in society had not changed.
Industrial Revolution (late 18th and early 19th century)
Impact of the industrial revolution on the relationship between the two sexes is indirect yet significant. Even since the invention of the steam engine, the intellect, efficiency and productivity surpass the physical strength of the individual. Men's age-old advantage of physical strength has begun to lessen in importance with industrialisation.
Waves of Feminism
Feminism basically deals with gaining equal rights for women and gender equality. In practice, Feminism takes on a spectrum of form and comes in different "waves" in various societies at varying paces. The most significant and earliest form of Feminism began in the United Kingdom and gradually spread to the United States and to other parts of the world. Therefore, this article would use the United Kingdom as an example as these events have inspired women to change their relationships with men in their respective societies.
First Wave
This refers to a period of feminist activity in the United Kingdom and the United States during the 19th to early 20th century. Initially, it focused on the advocacy of equal contract and property rights for women, the opposition to chattel marriage and even the ownership of married women and their children by their husbands. By the turn of the century, the emphasis was on gaining political power. i.e. the Feminism of classical liberalism and social democracy.
- Event 1: Age of Enlightenment (18th century)
Educated women began to promote education for women through their writings. These include Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792; Harriet Taylor with the name of John Stuart Mill wrote The Subjection of Women; Marian Evans with the name of George Eliot wrote Herbert Spencer and so on. -
Event 2: Jesuit Missionaries found Matrilineality (19th century)
When Jesuit Missionaries found matrilineality in native North America in the 19th century, the patriarchal society was challenged. Intellectuals and anthropologists began to question or change their notions of patriarchy being the "natural order of society". -
Event 4: Rights to Vote (1918-1919)
Parliamentary democracy emerged in the western world and all men were able to vote. The Women's Suffrage Movement emerged to give women voting rights.
Britain - In 1918, the Representation of the People Act 1918 gave women over the age of 30 to vote. In 1928, all women above the age of 18 had voting rights.
Note: United States - Nineteen Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1919 allowed women to vote.
Second Wave
Permanent residence of women in the workplace has been established.
- Event: World War 1 (1914-1918)
With the conscription of male soldiers to fight the war, the women took over men's places in the farms and factories. Such war works were extolled to women as a patriotic virtue. The women were more than glad to be part of the workforce then. For once in history, they were able to command high incomes and with that financial security, they had social independence. Even after the end of the war, a culture in which women could work alongside their male counterparts was established and this definitely changed the dynamics of their age-old relationship.
The struggle between Man and Woman is age-old and ongoing. Similarly, the old patriarchal society, as much as it is history, is still as current as ever. Waves of Feminism impacted by new political ideologies (e.g. Marxism), modernisation, wars or even new methods of production invented during industrialisation have slowly changed the dynamics between Man and Woman. This change is constant and even though many societies still subordinate women and advocate male dominance, the fact that a change of this age-old relationship in a part of the world has happened after thousands of years of stagnation shows that we are living in an age whereby this struggle (that there is finally this awareness and struggle) is finally showing some form of results. And perhaps, in the next century or so, a new order may arise to better suit this globalised world.