Lesson 2

GENDER, AND SEXUALITY ACROSS TIME

Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
a. Discuss the historical roots of our
understanding of gender and
sexuality; and
b. Show appreciation of how this
understanding evolved through time,
affecting various aspects of human
life.

Definition of terms:

Patriarchy— social system where men primarily hold power in the political

and the private spheres.

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 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
regards 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 makes society’s 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 treatment 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 home and related tasks such as suckling the
young child rearing, and home management).

PATRIARCHY
Patriarchy is from the Greek word patriarchs which means “the rule of the
father". It is a social system where men primarily hold power in the political
and 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 patrilineal society often follows a
patriarchal society, this means only men can inherit property and the family
name. Women are 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 vote, because they
are viewed as a weaker sex and should not concern themselves with learning
science or politics. Women had to fight for the right to vote, to go to schools,
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 proves 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 this
advancement, 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
emperor sex and are properties of men whose only job was to obey their
husbands, bear 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 in politics. However, Greek
influence quickly spread in Egypt through the conquest 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 ambience
and four virtues’’ and “precepts of women" states that women should obey
their father, when marriage 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 a woman, not being able to express your opinion on
important matters even when it concerns your future, and not being able to
say no to anyone.
● 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 a notice such as;
✔ Sexism- Prejudice, stereotypes, and
discrimination based on sex;
✔ Gender Pay Gap- men earned more
than women
✔ Underrepresentation in politics,
military, executive position, etc.
✔ Rape on women and the stigma
making women ashamed to report
the crime
✔ Very conservative expectation on
how they behave
✔ Unrealistic depictions of women in
fiction, often very sexualized
✔ Women do more housework and
childcare
✔ Boys were trained to be leaders
while women well trained to do
house chores Women
Empowerment
Women’s liberation movement, women movement, or feminism is a
continuing series of social movements that aim to challenge the patriarchal
society that creates these oppressive political structures, beliefs, and
practices against women.
● In France, Simone de Beauvoir wrote a book titled “The Second Sex” in
1949. It outlined how the patriarchal society disadvantaged by slowly raising
her into submission and hindering her productivity and happiness by
relegating them to cleaning. 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 husband in her famous quote” one is not born, but
rather become, a woman”
● Le Mouvement Liberation des Femmes or the women’s liberation
movement was formed in Europe and they sought the two educations, right
to work, and right to vote in the 1940’s Later, they also won women’s right
to decide on their own bodies and their sexualities. This liberation movement
views the inter sectionalist of economic status or class patriarchy.
● Inspired by Beauvoir’s book second wave feminism in 1960’s through
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
fourth wave. These movements only show that there is still much to be done
for women’s rights.
To put simply, feminism demands equality. Here are a few
salient points that feminism demands.
1. women suffrage- women or were not allowed to vote before because they
were viewed as irrational and temperamental and therefore, not able to
make rational decisions. these changes after world war I (1914-1918)
where women were uprooted from the household. They took on jobs and
made significant contributions to their country. Many counties 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. Feminists 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 as best for her. Contraception,
abortion, and other reproductive options should be available to women
because it is their body.
4. Domestics violence – such as marital rape and physical abuse are often
dismissed by society as parts of a “marriage”. Although we have RA 9262
or Anti Violence against Women and their Children, our culture still
dismisses such incidents as “Away Mag- mag asawa “.
5. Sexual Harassment and sexual violence they Center of Women’s
Resources in the Philippines estimates that one woman or child is raped
every hour mostly by someone they know.
6. Others 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 e.g., babae kase, lalake kase, 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.