Research Paper on "Relationship Between Men and Woman After Agricultural Revolution"

Research Paper 4 pages (1344 words) Sources: 1 Style: Chicago

[EXCERPT] . . . .

men and women change after the Agricultural Revolution?

Over the course of time the roles of men and women have changed. Modern feminists may believe that they are responsible for the improved status of women in modern society but they may be surprised to learn that in many ways their efforts have served to return women to the role that they once enjoyed.

Through the information discovered from archeological digs, all of human history can be divided into three broad, and overlapping, periods

The first period is characterized by the hunting and gathering behavior of the individuals who lived during this period. Humans during this period were nomadic and depended on vegetation and wild animals for their sustenance. This period was followed by humans ceasing to be nomadic as they began to grow their own food and tame wild animals. This transition began what became to be known as the agricultural period. Finally, humans began to organize themselves into cities as farming methods improved and the food supply increased to the point that not everyone had to farm in order to eat.

Many experts in the fields of archeology and anthropology argue that women were likely the discoverers of agriculture

. During the hunting and gathering period, women were assigned the responsibility of gathering the vegetation that was used for food while the men spent their time hunting. This familiarity with the vegetation allowed women to know which plants were edible, which grew most easily, and which foods were grown most efficiently.

Women's connection with farming and nature is theorized to be the source of the proliferation of goddesses associated with life and nature

. Women gods were believed by ancient cultures to be responsible for fertility, for the power to heal, for the power to bring life, and the power of life over death. The fact that these cultures determined to honor women in such manner evidences that the role of women was appreciated much more greatly than in either the hunting and gatherer period that proceeded the agricultural period or the urban period that followed it.

The dawning of the urban period brought with it a profound change in the role of women in society. From enjoying near equality in the hunter and gatherer period to being revered in the agricultural period, the urban period saw the role of women in society become gradually subordinated to men. The reasons for this change are arguable but the most frequently cited theory is that it was the result of urbanization. With urbanization individuals began to own private property. Property ownership such as the resources necessary for producing goods, animals, and tools allowed certain men to control the labor of others

. This form of exploitation of other's labor made some men richer than others and these rich men wished to pass their property onto their sons. In order to eliminate the possibility of wives interfering in the process, women began to be placed in a lesser position while primogeniture developed into the law of the land. This theory is not without its detractors but the fact is that as private property ownership increased there was a corresponding de-emphasizing of women's role in society.

The diminished role of women in society continued unbridled for centuries. Once urbanization began women were forced to live in what was largely a patriarchal society. The level of subordination in each society varied but there is no argument that women assumed a diminished capacity. In Greece, for example, the lessened role of women is reflected in how women were treated within the confines of the marriage relationship

. For Greek men, marriage was a duty and not something did because they wanted to. Men entered marriage because they felt a responsibility to their ancestors, city and religion but love did not enter the picture. Marriages were arranged and wives were valuable as caretakers for one's children and for taking care of the home but Greek men did not look upon their wives as someone with whom… READ MORE

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