Women in Society
The role of women in society has always been an issue throughout the ages and throughout Western Europe, and more or less all over the world. Before the age of the Enlightenment, or the Dark Ages, women were always seen as secondary to men in all aspects. Most reasons were religious while others were just the way life was then. By the late 18th century, at the time of the French Revolution and the continuance of the Enlightenment era, the role of women in society began changing drastically as the lights of the world were now open with this brand new enlightened era. Women began holding jobs, yet still did not receive the same privileges as men. By the time the Industrial Revolution came along in the 19th century many more jobs were opened to a woman in the work force. Reforms began in all areas throughout the 19thand early 20th centuries as women were gaining more and more rights and acceptance into everyday life. By the time the 20th century rolled around and throughout, no longer was it thought that women belonged in the home (although few still feel that way), yet many women began serving professional jobs as doctors, lawyers, and politicians. Now today some of the most successful people in the business world are women, as women have even began there own companies. Many changes occurred during the Enlightenment period of the late eighteenth century. For instance, more and more emphasis were placed on the family as the eighteenth century passed. There were three groups of urban women in the eighteenth century, lower-class, middle-class(the Bourgeoises in France), and the upper-class or the aristocracy. The work of married women differed if you lived in the city or in the country. In the country the women could be seen as literally carrying the heavy weight of the plantation for her husband. In the city a wife of a merchant may run the household finances and might even take part in her husband's business. In France women fought alongside men in urban