How far do the sources agree that the philosophy of separate spheres implied that women were inferior to men?

The first chapter in “Song of Solomon” immediately sets a precedence for the traditional gender roles for this particular community of the man working and of the woman taking care of domestic duties and ensuring her outward appearance matched the societal expectations (Morrison 3-4). The Author writes “men were at work; and most of the women were fastening their corsets and

In Biblical times women were the owned property of a man. Men ruled over women and their children. Women had very few, if

Even though women did not have a lot of social rights, they had two very important roles. They were to run the house and reproduce children. Even Euripides, a well known Greek playwright, stated , “Women run households and protect within their homes, and without a woman no home is clean or prosperous” (Neils 78). This shows that women were the ones who controlled the home. The wives would maintain the house and perform chores such as weaving, baking and cooking, cleaning, and fetching water. The women’s daily roles were simplified if they house had slaves. If there were slaves, they would do all of the chores and the wife would supervise

The women were expected to carry out the duties of the house without complaint and to remain diligent to her husband, as well as God. During this time, motherhood transformed from just being a child bearing figure to

A woman was valued if she could have babies, be a good mother and care for her household and her husband. In other words a married woman. A woman’s role was to cater to her husband. It was very rare they worked anywhere but a house.

The men throughout the Old English era played a very prevailing role in society. Men were the persons in society that were portrayed as the central leaders; being in charge of their homes and representing wisdom and strength. Because the men’s role in the Old English era was so dominant, there is a vast amount of literature about them, thus allowing women to be outshined. In fact, restrictions were placed on the majority of women during this period. However, as time evolved, the roles of women also evolved. In the Old English texts, The Wife’s Lament and Beowulf, the roles of women are seen as peace weavers, motivators, cupbearers and memory keepers, compared to the women in the Middle English text, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, who now play the roles of being protective, seductive and manipulative.

Cleaning, cooking and worshipping would be a few of the little jobs that can be performed by a woman. Not only would women be doing these things, but in the past it was very difficult for a woman to have a real job. It was the husband who had to bring home the money and the wife, who had to get groceries, cook and clean for her husband and their children. “This debate over women’s capacities was theoretical, of course, and few colonists, male or female, had the time or inclination to engage in it” (pg. 4). The funny thing about this is that it has not changed and some women still think they are supposed to do these frail actions while some take further steps into life. But however this plays out, I believe some women worked as hard as the men during the time of war. “As their men went off to war, these women took on the task of managing shops and farms in addition to caring for large families and coping with shortages of food and supplies…many spoke with satisfaction about how well they had adapted to new roles”(Making America: pg. 156). So what exactly was the role of women in the

With respect to the ego boundaries among the female characters in the text, Séllei (2009) suggests "They always stand apart but close, always in relation to each other, always in a mental and spiritual proximity, but as presented by the text, never threatening each other's subjectivity" (p. 180). Séllei then goes on to contrast the text's representation of the maternal with traditional patriarchal

However, one thing women could not do is they could not hold an office. The woman in the house was essentially the housekeeper. She cooked, cleaned, and raised children. The freedom of the woman depended upon the wealth of the family. Often times higher status women were not tasked with as many household oriented chores.

If men had ever been found in society without women, or women without men, or if there had been a society of men and women in which the women were not under the control of the men, something might have been positively known about the mental and moral differences which may be inherent in the nature of each. (1160-1161)

The Anglo-Saxon women took full responsibility of the day-to-day activities of their households. The wife‘s responsibility was to oversee the slaves, storerooms, make clothes and play hostess. In most societies the wife prepares the food, but in Anglo-Saxon culture, it was more customary for the man to prepare the food and the women to serve the drinks in the mead hall. Wealhtheow, from Beowulf,

Then in society, men were portrayed as “dominant figures” and women were the “nurturers”. Men not only filled the fatherly role but they also usually earned the “breadwinning”, went to work all day, and financially provided for the wives and

Thus, they were better suited to the domestic sphere. A related idea expressed in The Cult of True Womanhood was that women were meant to be moral guardians. Because women were spiritually pure, and therefore, closer to God, it was thought that their innocence would be ruined should they venture anywhere outside of the private sphere. Hence, they were seemingly best suited to the home. Essentially, a woman’s purpose in life was to perform household chores, prepare meals, nurture her children and serve her husband.

The Bible is full of statements and teachings on the topic of gender. Unfortunately, these are often ignored in the home. For example, the different roles of mothers and fathers. The Bible claims that mothers are called to be involved in the teaching, nurturing, and mentorship of their children. According to Proverbs 13:24, fathers are also called to discipline their children, to teach them, and to mentor them. Parents' roles are very similar according to the Bible with the caveat that fathers are called to be the disciplinarians and leaders of the household. Another example of the differences between genders according to the Bible is that of a Godly

The Bible is controversial on the matter of gender equality. There are numerous contradictions about the status of women in Christian society. Historically, the most prominent interpretation has been rather negative toward women. The Christian Church, with principally male authority, emphasizes the idea that women are inferior to man. They focus on Eve’s sin leading to a punishment that “her husband will have authority over her.” (Drury, 34)