Women's Roles During The Enlightenment

The role of women throughout history has been a topic of filled with controversy and debate. During the periods before Enlightenment in Europe, the role of women was determined by men in their personal lives and their status according to the government. Many of the roles of women included: maintaining a house, childbirth, raising a family and complying to her husband’s needs. A major part in the divide between men and women at the time was the education each received as a child. A few women could read and write but an education beyond that was a rarity. However, during the Enlightenment period in Europe, women’s rights were being reevaluated and the push for educated women was rising. The Enlightenment was a time for reformation of ways of

This document depicts the state of education for both men and women during the time -period. Within the document, Rousseau expresses his upset with the current norms for education and the rights of women. Rousseau states, “The male is only a male at certain moments; the female all her life, or at least throughout her youth, is incessantly reminded of her sex and in order to carry out its functions she needs a corresponding constitution. (Emile) Women, from a young age, are told exactly what they are expected and allowed to do for their entire lives. Furthermore, women are not given the same opportunity to achieve more than what was indicated by society or the will of their husbands. Rousseau advocated for men and women to both gain an education that would benefit both genders, instead of oppressing or boosting one gender. “Thus, the whole education of women ought to be relative to men. To please them, to be useful to them, to make themselves loved and honored by them, to console them, and to make life agreeable and sweet to them…” (Emile) With the idea of equal education for both genders beginning to circulate throughout European society, the ideas and practices became more