Women Rights

Human social nature has changed over time. One of the ways in which this change can be demonstrated is by looking at how society’s view of women has constantly been changing. No matter what time period is looked at one can always see people on both sides of the issue. Some people are in favor of women having equal rights and some people are against women being seen as more than just sexual objects. The view of women is changing. This change has taken many centuries, but it is happening.

In Proverbs there seems to be a push for women to be seen as human beings, but they are still under man’s command. This book extols the virtues of women while also keeping them in check. It says that they are great human beings, but they need to have a man around in order for them to be whole. “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life” (537). This passage focuses on women doing what their husbands want. She will obey him and not cause him grief. “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her ” (538). Women are very good at keeping house, but they will not or are not allowed to rest. They are always looking after the children, making the food, cleaning, and doing the laundry. They do not have a moment to rest. Women were to be looked up to and admired because they were so good at what they did and they were responsible for so much. Woman was the epitome of goodness and all things holy, but man was still above her.

Christine de Pisan wrote about the fact that women were seen as second-class citizens in her book, The Book of the City of Ladies. “The female sex has been left defenceless for a long time now, like an orchard without a wall and bereft of a champion to take up arms in order to protect it” (580). Christine was one of the first women to stand up and try to fight against the degradation of women. During the time that the book was written, 1405, male writers were making fun of women and saying that they were not equal to men. “…Many male writers have launched a full-scale attack on the ways of women” (583). “Condemning all women in order to help some misguided men get over their foolish behavior is tantamount to denouncing fire, which is a vital and beneficial element, just because some people are burnt by it, or cursing water just because some people are drowned in it” (583). Some male writers had been putting women down because some woman had hurt them or someone that they knew. “The only pleasure they have to compensate for their incapacity is to slander the female sex since it is women who bring such joy to other men” (585). She believed that the only reason that men were putting women down was because they were trying to compensate for their own weaknesses. She proceeded to say, “Those men who have slandered the opposite sex out of envy have