Women
People in this time viewed women as citizens, but only when it came to certain aspects. One of these aspects did not include the right to vote. The right to vote was for landowners or passed-down political power. By most of the authors in Chapter 10 (WRW, 276-294) women were looked at as inferior. Men have always been the strong one and they thought without man we would not be anywhere. Some even suggested that since the male had a penis he was automatically stronger than a woman who did not have one. If a man were to become castrated, he would ultimately be weaker and he would lose “virile qualities.” Women as we all know do not have the male reproductive organ, so we could ultimately conclude that this author thought of women as inferior. People also felt that a woman already had its responsibilities. The women’s job was to be there for the husband and bare his kids. The jobs that came with baring his offspring were to nurse and teach the kids and make sure the homestead is ready for the master. How would a woman have time to vote or think about current issues? The whole idea of a women voting just did not fit in most peoples minds.
Many people have different views on what the role of a citizen is. Some view a person as a citizen if they take part in the community. But then again, some people view citizens as others that are aloud to vote and make a difference in our community. Some think that they must own land. Either way, the view is that people must have a part in the community. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon showed a very restricted view on women’s citizenship. In his piece, he speaks about the inferiority of women physically, intellectually, and morally. He shows how he feels that women “have no reason to exist other than in the couple and the family.” He makes it clear that he feels women should stay there and not jump into our communities. The most inclusive view of women’s suffrage comes from Jeanne Derion. She felt that the time had come for the ending...
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