LESSON 2

GENDER AND SEXUALITY ACROSS TIME

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

L discuss the historical roots of our understanding of gender and sexuality, and

2. show appreciation of how this understanding evolved through time, affected various aspect of human
life.

Definition of Terms:

Patriarchy-social system where man primarily holds power in the political and the private sphere

Feminism continuing series of social movements that aim to challenge the patriarchal society that creates
these oppressive political structures, beliefs, and practices against women

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.

Historical accounts show that across time, humans’ conception of gender and sexuality has also
changed. Archeological 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 (the sacredness of the woman
due to her ability to conceive children) has prevailed, and thus, women are treated equally with men. This
make societies egalitarian (men and women have equitable power and roles).

However, humans’ discovery of paternity (fatherhood/ role of the father in conception),

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 therefrom.

For the longest time thereafter, societies have privileged men over other genders, mainly because
of the preferential given to them in the productive sphere (world of public work). Women who have been
revered due to their ability to conceive have been viewed as solely. Capable only of reproductive affairs
(world of the home and related tasks such as suckling the young child rearing, and home management).
The gender disparity was intended 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. But how did really the conceptualization of gender and sexuality changed? This lesson tackles
movements in history which shows how men, women, and people of other genders are viewed in human
societies.

PATRIARCHY

A close examination of our society can lead us to see the invisible layers of oppression in our
society like patriarchy-a system based on the control and oppression of women wherein they are
perceived to be the weaker sex. It is a structure that upholds male supremacy in the law, at home, in the
work place, and inpatriarc

Patriarchy is from the Greek word Patriarkhes which means "the rule of the father. It is a social
system where men primarily holds power in the political and the private spheres This means that in this
social system, society is organized and maintained in a way that men rule over women and their children.
In the social, legal, political, and economic spheres, men are expected to lead while women are expected
to obey and are relegated to house chores, bearing children, and child care.

A patriarch society often follows a patriarchal society, this means only men can inherit property
and the family name. Women we left with no inheritance and are expected to marry a man who can
support her economically. In fact, women were not allowed to go to schools, or even vete, because they
are viewed as a weaker sex and should not concern themselves in learning science or politics. Women had
to fight for the right to vote, to go to school, to go to work, and even participate in politics.

Patriarchy is viewed by most sociologists as a social construct and not as a biological phenomenon.
This is because history primes that in the prehistoric hunter-gatherer tribes and civilization, they
prioritized equality of all members, male and female. History suggests an egalitarian system rather than a
patriarchal system. Men and women contribute to society and they enjoy the same social status.

Friedrich Engels, a German philosopher and sociologist, argues that patriarchy came about when
people started having private property Instead of a communal living. The development in agriculture and
domestication of animals led to creating product surplus which allows people to have private property.
As a way to control the excess wealth generated by these advancements, male dominance was asserted
over women so only the male heir can inherit family wealth.

HISTORICAL VIEWS ON GENDER

Greek

Aristotle, Plato, and other Greek philosophers viewed women as the inferior sex and are
properties of men whose only job was to obey their husbands, hear 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 that Egyptian women
enjoyed higher social status than Greek women because they can inherit property and engage in trade
and politics. However, Greek influence quickly spread in Egypt through the conquests of Alexander the
Great across Asia and Africa.

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 is to
obey her son.
 Gendered biases in ancient patriarchal societies were very strict, heavily enforced, and often
violent Imagine not being able to go to school just because you are woman, not being able to express your
opinion on erant matters even when it concerns your future, and not being able to say no to any man.

Women have come a long way since the ancient times through the feminist movement, however,
patriarchy has taken on subtle forms of oppression that often go unnoticed such as:

• Sexism-prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination based on sex

• Gender pay gap-men earn more that women: underrepresentation in politics, military executive
positions, etc.

• Rape on women and the stigma making women ashamed to report the crime very conservative
expectations on women on how they behaves unrealistic depictions of women in fiction, often very
sexualized:

• Women do more housework and childcare

• Boys were trained to be leaders while wonten were trained to do house chores.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Women's liberation movement, women's movement, or feminists is a continuing series of social

movements that aim to challenge the patriarchal society that creates these oppresalve political structures,
beliefs, and practices against women. It started at different decades in different countries, some are fiat
muse adance in their struggle while others are still starting a movement. 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.

In France, Simone de Beauvoir wrote book titled "The Second Sex" in 1949. It outlined how the
patriarchal society disadvantaged women by slowly raising her into submission and hindering their
productivity and happiness by relegating them to housecleaning. This inspired many women to write and
speak their truths, such as Betty Friedan (The Feminine Mystique, 2963), Kate Millet (Sexual Politics,
1969), and Germaine Greer (The Female Eunuch, 1970). Beauvoir's book was instrumental in awakening
women about their plight as the "wife servant" to their husbands in her famous quote "one is not born,
but rather becomes a woman",

Le Mouvement de Liberation des Femmes or the women's liberation movement was formed in
Europe and they sought the right to education, right to work, and right to vote in the 1940s Later, they
also won women's right to decide on their own bodies and their sexualities. This liberation movement
views the intersectionality of economic status or class to patriarchy.

Inspired by Beauvoir's book, second-wave feminism in 1960's through the 80's, women drew
attention to various social and cultural inequalities such as domestic violence especially marital rape,
reproductive rights, wage inequality, and etc. The 90's gave birth to the 3rd wave and 2012 started the
forth wave. These movements only show that there is still much to be done for women's rights.

The United Nations reports that women do more work than men because even when they work
at the office, they are still expected to do household tasks. Another report om UN Women states that
women perform 66 percent of the worlds work, produce 30 percent of the food, but earn 10 of the income
and own 1 percent of the property. This is because in agricultural countries, women participate in making
the produce, but only the father or the male head of the family controls the income.

To put simply, feminism demands equality. Here are a few salient points that feminism demands.

1. Women suffrage- women were not allowed to vote before because they were viewed as irrational
and temperamental and therefore, not able to make rational decisions. This changed after World
War I (1914 to 1918) wherein women were uprooted from the household. They took on jobs and
made significant contributions to their country: Many countries soon started letting women vote
since they can no longer argue that women are “irrational and temperamental”.
2. Equality in politics and society- for hundreds of years, women’s voices were silenced, so society
must make an effort to restore their rights. Representation is very important for women, so that
their genuine concerns are heard in politics and in society. Feminist have always criticized that
old, privileged men always make the decisions for women at home and in politics.
3. Reproductive rights means the woman is in control of her body and she can decide for herself on
what she sees is best for her. Contraception, abortion, and other reproductive options should be
available to women because it is their body.
4. Domestic violence-such as marital rape and physical abuse are often dismissed by society as part
of a “marriage. Although we have RA 9262 or Anti Violence Against Women and their Children,
our culture still dismiss such incidents as “away mag-asawa”.
5. Sexual harassment and sexual violence – The Center for Women’s Resources in The Philippines
estimates that one woman or child is raped every hour mostly by someone they know.
6. Other rights include the right to divorce their husbands, the right to make decisions on her
pregnancy, equitable wages, and equal employment opportunity.

Summary

Recognizing patriarchy in the simple things we do is very important for us to identify these
instances so we can change it. Even the simplest acts that are seemingly harmless can be analyzed
and seen as a way to force women into submission and compliance. That is the power of putting labels
on oppressive acts, and you can call it out and stop it.

Feminism gained women access to education, right to vote. Right to work, take control of
their reproduction, and the right to say no instead of just obeying. However, there is still much to be
done for gender equality you can help in making the world a better place for women by learning to
respect and recognizing that women deserve the same rights as men-that women are not to be
treated as the weaker sex or the submissive sex, but rather as an equal.

Also, use gender neutral language that is not sexist humanity instead of mankind, the
unsteady of he, to emphasize inclusion. You can also counter gendered metaphors by vocally
criticizing its oppressive nature such as: the aggressive sperm and the passive eg, babae kase, lalake
kate, etc. You can also advocate for laws and policies that would empower women.

You do not have to be a woman to understand that everyone must be treated with the same
respect and that everyone is free and equal in dignity and in rights