Evolution of Patriarchy and Matriarchy in Ancient...

The Evolution of Matriarchy to Patriarchy Patriarchy is defined as â€Å"a system in which men largely control women and children and also shape ideas about appropriate gender behavior.† Throughout history, climate change brought on changes throughout all developing civilizations and societies, most importantly in agriculture. The development of agriculture led to the formation of complex societies, the idea of surplus, population growth, and new technologies. As these effects of agriculture became more prominent in growing societies, women were unable to participate in some of the economic and agricultural activities due to their biological purpose – reproduction. The new working environments were unsuitable for children, which caused women†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"All of these societies gave women considerable influence within a matrilineal culture, even if men usually had the decision making power.† During these societies, it can be said that the â€Å"Golden Age of Matriarchy†4 occ urred during this period of time where simple farming and hunting and gathering was a major role. All of the societies that engaged in simple farming and hunting and gathering had more powerful and authoritative roles in society because they were not fully focused on reproduction. Instead, these societies wanted to limit their population due to inefficient amounts of resources. As climate change took over in Mesopotamia such as extreme flooding of the Nile River in Egypt and the growing problem of desertification, societies could no longer rely on hunting and gathering. These methods were no longer producing the amount of food needed to support the steadily growing civilizations. Farming techniques were introduced which caused societies to develop new and complex ways for food production such as irrigation, horticulture, and shifting cultivation. â€Å"Food production and urbanization led to the formation of states: formal political organization.† The change from simple farm ing to complex farming made it harder for women to participate because of reproduction. Since the society was growing so rapidly, there came a need for more people in the society with all of the jobs created. The role of women became primarily focused on reproduction, which created aShow MoreRelated Women in Ancient Times: from Matriarchy to Patriarchy Essay2508 Words   |  11 Pages Women in Ancient Times: from Matriarchy to Patriarchy In addition to age, gender is one of the universal dimensions on which status differences are based. Unlike sex, which is a biological concept, gender is a social construct specifying the socially and culturally prescribed roles that men and women are to follow. Women have always had lower status than men, but the extent of the gap between the sexes varies across cultures and time. Images of women, mostly figurines of the same type as the quot;Venusquot;Read MoreWomen in Ancient Times: from Matriarchy to Patriarchy2592 Words   |  11 Pagesconsiderably more important, if not dominant, role in Paleolithic society; that possibly a matriarchy existed and women ruled. That means men havent always been the leaders; its not an inborn quality (as a lot of them suggest)! br brJohann Bachofen was a 19th Century Swiss archaeologist and classicist who was among the first to recognize the presence of an early matriarchal stage in proto-European cultural evolution. Bachofen used Greek myth to support his arguments. He felt that there were three culturalRead MoreGender Inequality and Patriarchy Essay1777 Words   |  8 Pages Gender inequality has been an issue since long before the 1840s, when feminists finally brought the problem to light. Most ancient cultures were societies based on gender inequality, skewed towards male-dominance. Most societies are still mostly patriarchal, in fact. Patriarchy is the root of discrimination between sexes and genders and has been for a very long time. The words ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are commonly confused with each other in regular, everyday conversations when the two have veryRead MoreJudy Chicago Dinner Party Essay6539 Words   |  27 Pagesstudios make up the informative core of this documentary film. In an unpublished manuscript entitled The Revelations of the Goddess, Chicago creates a mythic context for The Dinner Party. The book begins with the creation of the world and the early Matriarchy, and then describes the establishment of Patriarchal society. The Great Goddess prophesies that one day the wisdom of women will be needed again: Until that day, in each generation, some of your daughters and their daughters must be my Disciples