Patriarchy In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

There is no doubt that there has been an unjust control and treatment towards women throughout history. Not only as individuals, but also by their spouse in marriage. In order to understand why the monster of oppression towards women came about, it is also necessary to understand how life was for women in different parts of the world, as well as tracing their corresponding time periods all the way to current time. There are records of marriage as early as 2350 BC in Mesopotamia. Love was not the reason why the male made his selection towards the union with a women, but more like choosing a property for procreation. In the short story “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, the character of Mrs. Mallard helps us understand the deep affliction …show more content…
In the beginning the task were shared between men and women. It was all due to the survival contributions that women were making. Men needed the women to survive and prosper. While men did most of the hunting, even though this was no longer the main source for food. Families depended more on Agriculture, and the domestication of plants and animals which became an important source in this epochal. Labor amount became too demanding, and children were needed to help in the development of human technology. This started the practice of women staying at home to have and take care of children. There were no older women who could stay at home and help with children since the average age of life was between their late twenties and early thirties. An article written by Jane Peterson, states that, “The mean age at death for men increased by two years over time (35.5 vs. 37.6 years), while the mean age at death for women decreased between the Natufian and Neolithic periods (32.2 vs. 30.1 years) (Eshed et al. 2004b) … the decrease in mean age at death for Neolithic females may be the result of higher levels of maternal risk associated with childbirth”