LESSON 2: Gender and

Sexuality Across Time

 CONTENTS

A Patriarchy

B Historical views on Gender

C Women Empowerment
Learning outcomes
01
Discuss the historical roots of
our understanding of gender
and sexuality; and
02
Show appreciation of how this
understanding evolved through
time, affected various aspect of
human life.
Introduction
Society has progressed so much in a way that
information and knowledge is available to
everyone. This gives us an opportunity to examine
our social and political conditions in more detail
than when information was scarce and limited to
only a few individuals.
Introduction

Archaeological artifacts reveal that in the distant

past, during the dawn of civilizations, human
societies have high regard for women. The
concept of the divine feminine has prevailed, and
thus, women are treated equally with men. This
make societies egalitarian.
Introduction

However, humans' discovery of paternity,

presumably during the Agricultural era, when
societies began to establish communities and
tame rear cattle and stocks, have also changed
how societies have viewed women and men there
from.
Introduction

The gender disparity was intensified by the

Industrial era where factors were built and men
were preferred because they did not have to bear
children for nine months and because of their
perceived physical strength.
 Patriarchy
a pattern of society or a
system of social administration
01 in which the father or senior
male is the head of the family
Patriarchy

Patriarchy is from the Greek word Patriarchs which means

"the rule of the father”
Friedrich Engels, a German philosopher and sociologist,
argues that patriarchy came about when people started
having private property instead of a communal living.
 Historical Views on Gender
Greek, Egypt, and China
02
 Greek
Aristotle, Plato and Greek philosophers viewed women as
inferior sex and are properties of men whose
only job was to obey their husband, bear children, and take care
of the household. They were forbidden to learn
philosophy, politics, and science.
 Egypt

Herodotus, a Greek Historian, observed the Egyptian

civilization citing those Egyptian women enjoyed higher social
status than Greek women, because they can inherit property
and engage in trade and politics
 China
Confucianism has stringent written rules that dictate how women should
conduct themselves. The written
documents titled “Three obedience’s and four virtues” and “precepts of
women” states that women should obey
their father, when married she is to obey her husband, and when widowed
she obey her son.
 Subtle forms of women oppression of
patriarchy that often go unnoticed:

A B C D
sexism – prejudice, gender pay gap – underrepresentation in rape on women and

stereotypes, and men earn more politics, military, the stigma making
execution positions, etc. women ashamed to
discrimination based on than women;
report the crime
sex
 Subtle forms of women oppression of
patriarchy that often go unnoticed:

E F G H
very conservative unrealistic
women do more boys were trained
depictions of
expectations on
women in fiction, housework and to be leaders while
women on how often very women trained to
childcare
they behave sexualized do house chores
 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Women’s empowerment can be defined to

promoting women’s sense of self-worth,
their ability to determine their own choices,
03 and their right to influence social change for
themselves and others.
Women Empowerment
During the 19th and early 20th century, first-wave
feminism spread across the western countries as
women demanded for their right to vote or
participate in elections and to be
able to legally own property.
Women Empowerment
To put simply, feminism demands equality. Here are a few salient
points that feminism demands.

Women suffrage
Equality in politics and
society
Reproductive rights

Domestic violence
Sexual harassment and
sexual violence
Other rights
Importance of Women
Empowerment
Empowering women is essential to the health and
social development of families, communities and
countries. When women are living safe, fulfilled
and productive lives, they can reach their full
potential. contributing their skills to the
workforce and can raise happier and healthier
children.