Women throughout history have oftentimes been regarded as the inferior sex. They have been through slavery, neglect, ridicule, persecution, deprivation, and all sorts of degrading acts. Ages ago and in distant and varied cultures, newly born girls were instantly killed. They were thought of as bad luck or as useless to society. Women didn’t have equal rights with men for a very long time. They were not afforded education because it is only the men who should learn and women should serve their husbands. Women’s roles were limited to being a wife, mother, daughter, housekeeper, and nothing else. Are all these maltreatments a form of gratitude for how women took care of children and their needs at home? Grave as it is, this bad treatment of women lasted for as long as we can remember, and it took a series of struggles for women to gain the rights they deserve. In contemporary society, women are now treated differently. There is greater respect for women, and opportunities open to them are abundant. Women now are independent, and they occupy seats of power, may it be in government, civil society, or the corporate world. Though it is also a reality that there are still cultures or groups in different parts of the world where women are regarded as the lesser gender, how society treats women now is far better than in the 18th or 19th Century.
The story of The Last of the Mohicans was set in the mid-1700s. The story specifically happened in 1757. We shall focus on the two main woman characters in the novel for the purposes of this paper. The two women in the story were Cora and Alice. Both have different personalities, but nevertheless, both portray the status and role of women in those times. Cora is the older of the two sisters. She was of mixed racial heritage, different from her half-sister Alice. Her mother is a descendant of West Indie slaves, and her father is Scottish. She was brave, though her courage was restrained because women were deemed weak, soft, and unable to protect themselves in those times. She was protective of her half-sister Alice. Her affection and caring for her sister were likened to that of a mother to her child. She was always willing to sacrifice for her sister’s sake, to the point verging on martyrdom. Whenever Alice would seem fearful, Cora will immediately come to her side and abate those fears. She was also very forgiving. Alice, on the other hand, was very helpless. She showed no traces of independence. She was greatly dependent on her sister. She faints when she is stressed and does not speak for herself. She speaks only when responding to someone speaking to her. Women during the mid-1700s were treated as damsels in distress with no capability whatsoever of standing on their own or of defending or protecting themselves. In the novel, however, there were instances when Cora subtly used her femininity or sexuality as a factor in getting what she wanted. There were times when the desires of the men were highlighted. This somehow reflects the treatment of women as sex objects or objects of desire.
The major theme of the novel is the spirit of heroism in men. The issue of color prejudice was likewise tackled. This is another discourse at hand which we will not dwell upon here. The issue of prejudice against color and of mixed races is also very dominant in the film. We will, however, only focus on the issue of how women were treated in the novel. The main characters were men, and the plot revolves around saving women who were kidnapped. In the course of the effort to save the women, battles were fought, and relationships were formed and destroyed. In the novel, women were used as a means to make the men more interesting. They were treated as objects fought upon and desired by men. They were regarded as one of the reasons for battle and, at the same, a reward once a battle has been won.
The role of women from the 1700s to the mid-1800s have generally remained the same; they took care of the household. They had no opinion and voice in society. They were considered soft, unassuming, and very forgiving. They were submissive to their fathers and husbands. If they are given a chance to speak up, then it is just a matter of familial courtesy but is not taken seriously. They were definitely not treated as being equal to men. They were only subordinates. They were regarded as being lower in status and role in society. They are not allowed to own any property once married, and they could not get a divorce. They were mere reflections of the successes or failures of men. It was then a very patriarchal society.
As time progressed and situations changed, the treatment and status of women likewise changed. People learned to view women and their importance in society in a different and more positive way. This did not, however, happen in an instant; the battle was long and arduous. From the industrial revolution to World War I and II, women have taken on roles and jobs usually filled by men, but after the war, women again return to their roles at home and their low-paying jobs. Major steps were taken to advance the cause of women, like The Civil Rights act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination against gender, race, or religion, and the Equal Pay Act of 1964 (United States).
Today, women are empowered. They have the options and the means to pursue endeavors without gender barriers. Women have gained their rightful place in society and in the fields of politics, education, and the economy. Though we see the government still being dominated by men, the arena is open to women. Politics is generally accepted as a chauvinist field, but there are women who take this as a challenge and do not see this notion as a hindrance to their goals. To this date, there are women holding key positions in the government, and many other women are exercising their political rights by voting, a right which they acquired in 1920. The judicial courts also comprise women judges, and we see countless women lawyers who are active in their chosen fields of law. Law enforcement is now not limited to men only. There is an increasing number of female police officers in the system, and still, a growing number interested to join the police force. Gone were the days when women are supposed to be meek and afraid. Women now are not afraid to show their strength and ferocity, but at the same time, they are also handling maternal roles at home, which require tenderness. This is the flexibility of a woman.
Corporations and big businesses still see a huge bulk of top management comprising men. Women are very visible in the workplace, but they occupy the lower positions. It is usually the men who hold the top positions or those positions which require making major decisions. There are women power figures in top corporations, but they are only a handful. The economic ground is much like the political field where the chauvinist thinking that men are the stronger sex still exists. This chauvinist thinking, while it is a major disadvantage to women, could also serve as a motivator for other women to strive harder in achieving their goals. Women in the workplace, by their sheer number, regardless of their positions, have a power that they can utilize to advance and safeguard their rights.
In the field of education, women are now able to pursue their learning endeavors in every which way they like. From all the choices of learning institutions and means, women can choose where and how they like to learn. Schools are prohibited from discriminating against gender when admitting students. This right to education will enable them to gain competence comparable to that of a man in engaging in endeavors previously only regarded as a man’s field.
The major difference between the treatment of women then and now is the concept of choice. The rights equal to that of men are now afforded to women and thus give them the opportunity to decide which path they wish to tread upon. There are now no barriers but only options to choose from.
Work Cited
“United States.” Women’s Rights: A Journey Around the World. 2007