Exploring Gender Roles: Insights from World History

Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site . 1 Week 2 Assignment Jehnna Johnston HIS 311 Gender in History Instructor Driver Mar 3 2022

Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site. 2 Thesis and Scope of the book This book shows interaction between male and female counterparts, the roles assigned to men and women within different cultures. The author explores the Western society into feminism in 1960s. The author also suggests how women in the past actions have condition current responses. The book explores how gender standards influence behavior and the different distinctions between man and woman. “Comparison of international interactions affecting gender reveals much about the values of all the societies involved- whether the society is being influenced by, forming judgements about, or even resisting outright an alternative set of standards.” (Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds- live&scope=site .) Depictions of how cultures were influenced and the values of each gender, the book also ask the important questions about changes over time on genders and the roles that they play. Identify Main Points and Arguments In Chapter 2, Greece and Hellenism, women were often advised to marry a good man and bear good children. That was essentially the only role women played in Greece 800 BCE, to produce boys who would grow up to support male valor. Greek men in 800 BCE took boys in as proteges and lovers, using them for pleasure only and women for reproduction only. Women were most certainly not seen as acceptable for political activities, their status in society was seen as exceptionally low, not competent, who had the men in their lives serve as their guardians. Even women who were once married but were widowed were returned to their family and looked

Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site. 3 down upon not allowed to own anything. In Greek language the word marriage was defined as a loan, as men could return women to their fathers. Men and women were punished for adultery, even though men would use the boys for pleasure they could not sleep with another women, other than their wife or it would be considered adultery. In the Amazons, in which Greek man claimed to have killed all the menfolk, women because the hunters, warriors, shoot arrows and ride horses. Amazonian women were forced to kill a man before they were allowed to wed. The Amazonian women who wed were not forced to change their way and only do “women’s’ work” the were allowed to continue on as they had been before marriage, often wearing the same clothing as that of their husbands. Herodotus noted that Persians mimicked the Greek in that they had sex with younger boys for pleasure while Greek had nothing to improve upon. Chapter 3 In this chapter, the author explores Buddhism and Chinese women from the 9 th century CE. Buddhist writers had to make some adjustments in their statements about women, simply to fit Chinese theories. Buddhism was said to have an impact on how Chinese women were looked at. In China, religion played a major role in how women were viewed. Records are clearer in China than that of Greece, observers, paid more attention to the results of Buddhism and the affects on women’s lives. Women were not just supposed to obey just the husband but his parents too. However, men and women could be divorced if the woman disobeyed, if the woman could not produce a child, and if the woman talked too much, men were granted a divorce. Chinese men were allowed to have more than one wife, or concubine and women were not allowed to be jealous. Women responsibility was to the household of the husband, weaving and raising

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Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site. 4 children. Men were not allowed to abuse their wife; even thought they were considered the dominant party. Everyone who was involved in Buddhist view regardless of status had spiritual equality. Some women could be considered as evil, particularly for seducing men and leading them down the path of lust. Other women were seen as holy, in contrast to Hinduism, it was argued that reincarnation as a man was essential precondition for a woman’s spiritual advancement. The author used his sources to promote knowledge and shed light on historical events, saying in some cases, and to back up and reiterate the point of the work he established. You can tell by the amount of Buddhist works that the author researched prior to writing his own works. While the author does not do a deep dive into the methodological approach of research he used or preferred, he does use multiples sources at the end of each chapter. Conclusion I don’t think the author used enough compare and contrast data to be fully affective in the research, he is only giving one side of the historical data and facts. The most important read I found in chapters I read were “The only real Chinese Empress, Wu, argued that she should be allowed to serve, against strict patriarchal custom on grounds that she was a reincarnation of a previous female saint whom the Buddha himself had promise spiritual rebirth. Backed by Buddhist monks, she usurped the throne in 683, finding in the religion the alternative authority essential to confute tradition. She held power for over twenty-five years.” That to me is important because she broke the tradition and ruled a country and was the first woman to do so and the last. That is an important monument for women. I would recommend this book for people to read. I think they would get a better understanding of how women were viewed and how women have come such a long way. I really have enjoyed reading this book thus far. There

Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site. 5 is always the potential for someone to write more on each of the time periods but I liked how he transitioned from one time period to another.

Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site. 6 References Stearns, Peter N. 2000. Gender in World History. [Electronic Resource] . Themes in World History. Routledge. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=cat02191a&AN=aul.EBC3060262&site=eds-live&scope=site.

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