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Austin Parsons
James Seaman
History 4
September 30, 2018
The Roles Women Played in History
Throughout the centuries, women have struggled with their rights and freedoms. Since
the ancient world, they have been viewed as insignificant. Woman have had different roles and
have had very different experiences. We now see that woman have always been an important
part of our history, but they were not recognized as such at the time. As the world has changed
over time, women’s rights have continued to grow, finally achieving equal rights in 1920. The
impact of women in history is undeniable. This essay will delve into the certain historical roles’
women have played throughout history, comparing women from India, Greece, the Hebrews
(before Christianity), and Europe (Renaissance). Women living in the ancient and pre-modern
world had both similarities and differences in the roles that they played socially, economically,
politically, and religiously during their lives.
In India, the main religion is Hinduism and within this religion is the Laws of Manu, a
basic text for teachers to use when teaching the religion. The Laws of Manu from 200 BCE to
200 C.E. depict how women were property in India. “By stealing a woman, [you are] a bear”
(Milestone Document, Laws of Manu); this is a short section from a long list of items men are
forbidden to steal. It places women as an object, along with jewelry and other worldly
possessions. In addition, the laws illustrate the effort of the elite men to restrict women’s legal
independence. In India, widowhood is a punishment for an awful crime committed by the woman
within her former existence upon earth. The duties of a widower are described in the Laws of
Manu. There are multiple rules and duties that a woman must follow. Women in this period were
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put to a harsh trial, they are deprived of colorful garments and jewelry, all worldly possessions,
and are required to shave their head regularly every two weeks. Some rules explained how
women were not allowed to eat more than once a day and could not attend family gatherings.
They were committed to a life of solitude and torture. Women were objects to men and were
mostly illiterate. Only a few could read and write, and those who did cried out through poems
and prayers for salvation. Hindu women lived a lonely life full of isolation and oppression.
Although they were not treated as poorly, women in Greece also struggled with independence
and authority.
With few exceptions, women in Greece were treated as subordinate. A Greek
instructional poem titled Hesiod: Theogony, written in 700 BCE, describes local Greek traditions
and a glimpse into the way they lived. The text depicts that women were created as a punishment
