In almost every culture, women, and men have suffered from the system of patriarchy, where a man or a group of men controls a family, group, or government. We can trace this right back from 10,000 BCE when we lived as hunter gatherers, with men hunting and women gathering. It was also at about this time that we became consciously aware that it took a man and a woman to have a child, and at this same time men started to claim ownership over their herds and lands. Before this time, in the paleolithic era people shared their resources and supplies. This claim of ownership had many effects, and one of them was that men wanted to know that a child born by their woman was indeed their child. This led to the desire for men to be with a virgin woman, so that the offspring was surely theirs and could be handed down when they passed on. This concept of ownership and control led to the development of the earliest patriarchal families.

This concept of ownership extended from land and supplies to women, and led to the earliest abuses that we have had in our civilizations. Women were treated as commodities, and from a young age became accustomed to this identification. Women's values lay in their reproduction, especially in farming villages. Children became an economic asset, and if women were unable to produce them, they were seen as all but worthless. The idea of women being only good for their womb has progressed even into today's society.

As cultures evolved this theme continued and developed even further, especially during the times of Ancient Greece (500BCE) when democracy was seen as a modern concept and gave men more equal rights. These developments saw the rights of women decrease even further; the family had before been a biological unit, but now took the form of a political and economic unit. Wives and mothers became obligatory, and women who did not follow the traditional functions faced legal consequences. Women were the legal wards of either her father or husband and had no rights of their own; they could not inherit property. A woman during this time did not even have custody over her children as they belonged to her husband. Women were unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman's place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children. Women lived a restricted existence because the men believed that it helped prevent adultery. Establishing paternity of male children was essential in Athenian society because without it, the male children couldn’t become citizens.

Therefore it is fair to say that Patriarchy evolved at first due to greed, with the sudden ability for men to have power and ownership whereas before it was not an option. When we are given the opportunity to have things that were not possible before, and there are no limits placed on us, greed can easily take over and claim all in its path.

This contrasts with Ancient Egypt, which was just before the times of Ancient Greece. Egypt was a monarchy in those times, and government and religion were inseparable. The pharaoh was the head of state and the divine representative of the Gods on earth. The pharaoh had next to them, the most powerful officers called the viziers, the executive heads of the bureaucracy. Under them were the high priests, followed by royal overseers (administrators) who ensured that the 42 district governors carried out the Pharaoh's orders.

Women in ancient Egypt were ahead of their time. They could not only rule the country, but also had many of the same basic human rights as men. One of the first women to hold the rank of pharaoh was Hatshepsut, who began her rule in about 1,500 B.C.E. ... As a result, pharaohs chose spouses from within the royal family. Egyptian women were fortunate in two important ways: While women could become Pharaoh only in very special circumstances, they were otherwise regarded as totally equal to men as far as the law was concerned. They could own property, borrow money, sign contracts, initiate divorce, appear in court as a witness, etc.

So, in a surprise conclusion to this weeks Question of the week, I blame DEMOCRACY and the political system for many of the inequalities we see today! Whilst democracy sounds like SUCH a good idea to most people in the developed world today, i see it as one of the most evil and damaging system that has ever existed. Democracy has allowed man to become infinitely greedy, and desire ownership and control far beyond what is necessary for survival. The EGO has been set lose in a system that honours no God, and lets nothing stand in its path to dominance. Whilst many see dictatorships as an Evil system, this is not the case when the leaders are honourable and have the best interests of all in their hearts. This was certainly the case in the times of Ancient Egypt, which was an era defined by very spiritual and religious beliefs. This spiritual connection is vital to our society, and is something that is missing from all of todays dictatorships. When we lose our divine connection and rule with absolute power, we are certain to end up with absolute corruption.

I hope you have found this post enlightening. I sure have! Our political systems are dinosaurs, and almost all have lost their soul and purpose. Even the most spiritual of countries like India have today allowed Democracy to take over all aspects of decision making, where ALL decision making seems to be related to PROFIT, MONEY, POWER, and CONTROL. This theme really has reached epidemic proportions and is causing the destruction of our entire culture and even planet. What alternative do we have today to this? How can we go back to a time when our leaders are truly motivated by the divine, and the wellbeing of all? That may well be the subject of my next post!

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SOURCES:

https://www.colorado.edu/wrc/2015/02/13/history-patriarchy
http://historylink101.com/2/greece3/women.htm
http://www.greekboston.com/culture/ancient-history/role-of-women/
http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcgov1e.shtml
http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women_in_ancient_egypt.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_ancient_Egypt

 

This post is a part of the ecoTrain QUESTION OF THE WEEK proposed by @clara-andriessen.

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