Gender Inequality In Navajo Myth, By Susan B. Anthony

Feminist theory tries to understand gender inequality, and it examines women’s social roles, interests, experiences, and politics in all aspects of life and fields. There is a strong focus in discrimination, objectification, oppression, patriarchy, and stereotyping. Feminist theory appeared as long ago as the late 1700’s with a Navajo Myth that spoke of woman who populated the world. Later in the mid 1800’s Sojourner Truth created a publication which discussed women having limited rights because men had a flawed perception of them. In the 1870’s Susan B. Anthony made a claim about the constitution and its male centric language. Then further went on to question why women were allowed to be punished under law, but they were not allowed to vote …show more content…
It is widely accepted that in ancient Greek times a wife was expected to obey her husband and never act independently except within their oikos. There she was responsible for preparing food, raising children, and producing clothes. Women owned little or no real estate and in most cities they were limited to very trivial financial transactions and were denied access to the legal system. (Morris and Powell pg.28) Even the early female poet Sappho had a very male centric view in her poems instead of her own view. Some sources represented women as an evil influence and viewed them as a separate species. This misogyny was a theme present in much of Greek culture. In one story it is said that Zeus created a dreaded race of women to punish men. (pg.29) The Greek writer Xenophon doesn’t necessarily view women as a punishment for men, but instead thinks that the gods made men more superior to women, tougher, more disciplined, and more suited for an outdoor lifestyle. While women were viewed as lesser people, when married it was considered a joint venture where the man and woman had to come together to make the best choices. A husband could educate his wife so that her contribution would be up to par with his own. (pg.34) A woman’s main job was to bare children for her husband and their household. Most women would remain pregnant throughout their entire life. Men were allowed to have sex outside of marriage, but if a woman was found to have an out of marriage affair she would be punished, having a little chance of finding a new husband would be disgraced and live the rest of her life in poverty. (pg.35&37). Women were looked at as simply a person to take care of the household, the children, and her husband. It was unspeakable for the Greeks and most cultures to think of the women as having intelligence or being able to have their own viewpoints on society and