Women Throughout European History: 3D Gallery

Introduction

Throughout history, the role of women has drastically changed. Women originally started out with very little compared to men, but they showed resilience, and slowly gained more rights and bigger roles. Now, women are seen as equal to men in the modern day world. To show how women got to this point, this exhibit will go through the eventful transformation of women throughout the course of European history.

Ancient Greece / Rome

In Greece, women had little freedom, and few rights compared to men. In most city states, women were seen as undeserving; they were not expected to be given any sort of education. They had arranged marriages arranged by their fathers, and they could not argue against it. Women were seen as so inferior that they always had some sort of dependence on men for all situations. After marriage, women typically stayed home, where they tended to their daily needs. Their main duty was to give birth to children (mainly boys) to strengthen the future of Greece.

In ancient Rome, women also had fewer rights than men. Their role was also centered inside households. Women were expected to do household chores and tend to their children. In Rome, marriage was seen as a way to form temporary alliances between families, so divorce was very common when the political condition of husbands changed. Marriages typically occurred very early in a women's life, causing many women to die during childbirth.

Middle Ages

Women were still seen as inferior to men during the Middle Ages. While some women were able to work in the clergy, life for them wasn't too much different. The rise of feudalism provided a hierarchy for small towns. These classes were serfs, knights, nobles, and kings. Peasant women were generally equal to men of the same class, but serfs in general didn't have a very fortunate life. Women in the bourgeoisie were able to work with men to sell goods from the rising popularity of trade. Nobles usually decided who women were to marry, and as usual they were expected to be completely loyal to their husband, do all the housework, and take care of their children.

The Renaissance / Reformation

The mentality about women in the Renaissance was still heavily influenced by religion. Marriage was seen as a requirement, as unmarried women were to be imprisoned. Women were still expected to be loyal to their husbands, even though domestic violence was relatively common. They had to do all the housework, and take care of children all on their own. However, in this time period, they were able to occupy some jobs. Their main role stayed consistent with earlier times—produce male heirs.

In the Reformation, the idea of gender equality began to spread. Martin Luther expressed that women should be equal to men in all aspects. He claimed that “Man cannot do without women”. Although the idea spread, there was not much change. There was a bit more education given to women compared to the Renaissance, but apart from that everything stayed the same. However, this period saw some very notable women. One such women was Queen Elizabeth. Some of her notable achievements include establishing Protestantism in England, defeating the Spanish Armada, and maintained peace.

Age of Absolutism

The Age of Absolutism saw some female monarchs. One notable example is Queen Elizabeth I of England. She was a very popular leader due to her lenience on political, social, and religious matters. Another notable person was Maria Theresa of Spain. Theresa was married to Louis XIV as result of a mutual wanting of an alliance between France and Spain. She became the Queen of France for two brief years.

While less known, women still contributed during the scientific revolution. Even though males dominated in science, several females stand out in this time. Margaret Cavendish was known for her scientific and philosophical works, Maria Winckelmann studied astronomy and was the first female to discover a comet, and Maria Gaetana Agnesi was known for her teachings in calculus.

The Enlightenment & The Age of Revolutions

Women continued to play bigger roles during the Enlightenment and the Age of Revolutions. During the Enlightenment, one famous ruler was Catherine the Great, the empress of Russia. She applied reforms to Russian law while also expanding its territory by over 200,000 square miles. Her reign lasted 34 years, the longest a women has ever ruled Russia.

During the Age of Revolutions, women also contribute quite a bit. In the French Revolution, many women joined together and created the Declaration of Rights of Women, shortly after the declaration was made for men. Ultimately, the declaration failed to extend rights to women. There were many notable women that took part in many of the revolutions in this time period. One notable example was Claire Lacombe, also known as "Red Rosa". She was known for her contributions to the French Revolution. She founded the Republican Revolutionary Society.

World War I

World War I had a great impact for women. As men were sent to war, women occupied their jobs, learning new skills as a result. They helped maintain the economy of countries that were in the war. They were used a lot in war production and agriculture. Women also started being used in the army, which was previously exclusively male. British women were drafted into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp (WAAC), and the army added over 100,000 women. After the war, some women were laid off because of returning soldiers. This sparked some resistance, as suffrage groups began to form. These groups pressured politicians to grant universal suffrage. At the end of the war, many countries that had women serve in the military granted them the right to vote.

Interwar

Women played a part in the Russian Revolution. As the rise of a revolution was breaking out, women were quick to take action. Many women joined study circles, created in a movement by Brusnyev. The circles were usually filled with male participants, but women slowly joined in. The circles were used to give education to all that took part. In 1917, Russian women started a strike. The male population also joined the strike, and on the first day over 90,000 people attended. The strike went on for days, and in only five days the Tsar was overthrown. In other places throughout the continent, demand for gender equality grew stronger and stronger. Many women's organizations were created, including the International Council of Women, the World's Young Women's Christian Association, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

World War 2

World War 2 had good participation from women. There were over 800,000 women in the Soviet Union's army, and more than 640,000 in British armed forces. Women also worked in factories to produce war goods, and took jobs vacated by soldiers. Women rarely fought in the front lines, but they still provided good help. One person, Lyudmila Pavlichenko (pictured above), who was a sniper for the Soviet Union, had 309 confirmed kills. Britain also used them as secret agents. One major contribution of the women in the Special Operations Executive was that they helped support the Allies in the planned invasion of Normandy. With the help of over 6 million women doing civilian war work, Britain was able to help win the war. Overall, women played a huge part in World War II, especially for the British.

Post WWII

After the war, women were praised for their work in the army—and that was well deserved. For the British, there were over 7 million total women doing war work. They left behind a legacy that would not be forgotten. Finally, the line of separation between man and women seemed to blur. Many jobs that were considered to be male were also being taken by females. Gender roles weren't as contrasting as that of older times. Now that there was a time of peace, women were able to develop some culture. Women had pretty much earned equal rights as men—but they weren't completely equal yet. They were usually being paid less than men.

Today, women are just as important to the world as men. Many influential women have appeared in our world. Some women are the leaders of countries, and their gender did not affect them at all. When we look back through European history, it is hard not to look back in amazement at how far women were able to go.

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Women Throughout European History