Patriarchy in Greece and China (600 B.C.E-600 C.E)
In second wave civilizations, women faced numerous obstacles in their quest to be granted any power outside of being a homemaker. Examples in ancient Europe include a Grecian ban on any female participation in local governments and the legislative restrictions on women wearing gold (Sources, p. 80). In Asia, a Chinese exam system only open to males, and women’s forced submission to their husbands based on Confucianism beliefs were similarly limiting (Text, p. 189). Though the society in which the people of second-wave civilizations lived was imbalanced, patriarchy was not universal. Empress Wu became the first to hold the position equivalent to the emperor in China (Text, p. 207). In Greece, a successful challenge to the aforementioned ban on wearing gold struck down the law(Sources, p. 80). While women were often forced into submission by gender norms, there are countless examples of them challenging these standards as well (Sources, p. 80).
After the two empires formed, women in those second-wave civilizations faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles in obtaining even slight power. One reason for this was the removal and disenfranchisement of women on local political councils in Greece (Text, p. 208). By not having a say in what laws were passed in Athens, women were subjected to pointless and misogynist regulations (Text, p. 208). They could not elevate themselves in society by instituting new rules (Text, p. 208). Additionally, in China, an imperial academy based on Confucian teachings and examinations was established to train new officials and civil servants (Text, p. 189). This system prevented women from having a position of power by excluding them entirely (Sources, p. 189). The school also taught male students that women must remain subdued or else they might become power-hungry and overthrow society (Sources, p. 189). There were countless other prejudiced systems that existed between 600 B.C.E and 600 C.E, and there are many examples of women challenging those sexist structures.
In 215 B.C.E, the political council in Athens passed a law banning a woman from wearing more than half an ounce of gold as it was a time of war and resources needed to be conserved (Sources, p. 80). However, after the war finished, a proposition to take the law out of effect was struck down by councilmembers, and many women became upset (Sources, p. 80). This anger led to demonstrations during which women blocked entrances to the forum, closed-off city streets, and pleaded with councilmembers to repeal the bill (Sources, p. 80). Eventually, a monumental victory was won by the women after the final two dissenters withdrew their vetoes (Sources, p. 80). The win proved that the patriarchy was not an invincible social structure after all. A similarly monumental achievement in China was when the empire’s first female leader, Empress Wu, took control of the country in 690 C.E. (Text, p. 207). She started as a concubine in the imperial court and took power as an empress dowager (Text, p. 207). During her time as China’s only female emperor in history, Empress Wu made many progressive changes like improving the civil examination system and spotlighting arts and academics (Text, p. 207). However, her most controversial changes that boosted the status of women in China (Text, p. 207). These included making the period of mourning for mothers represent that of fathers and ordering biographies be written about well-known women in addition to men (Text, p. 207). Empress Wu’s ability to become an impactful ruler of China and the demonstrations in Athens that brought down a misogynist law expose the fragility in the patriarchy existent in 600 B.C.E.
Unfortunately, the obstacles faced and challenged by women in both Greece and China during the second-wave civilizations era are still apparent in the United States today. In our Congress, the current day equivalent of Athens’ public assembly, many women are making meaningful contributions to public life as civil servants. However, a female president has yet to be elected to lead the U.S as Empress Wu did in China about 1300 years ago (Text, p. 207). The limitation in Athens on what women could and couldn’t wear is comparable to societal norms around the way women dress today. There are judgments and standards rooted in our culture that may dissuade or persuade a woman to dress a certain way which can absolutely be as harsh as the Oppian Law passed over 2000 years ago(Sources, p. 80). Lastly, China’s imperial academy responsible for educating the empire’s future high-ranking officials was attended and run exclusively by men (Text, p. 189). While the education system in America was entirely gender-integrated over a century ago, many curriculums are still dominated by the first-person perspectives of historical men instead of women. This imbalance in our education system can lead to distorted views around the capabilities of women as the teachings of Confucious did roughly 2500 years ago in China. Since the era of second-wave civilizations in Greece and China, numerous advancements have been made in all facets of life, but women are facing and challenging similar obstacles today that they did back then
