SOC 885 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Devaluation, Upper Class, Family Therapy
Document Summary
Week two: women, gender, and hierarchy in historical contexts in the near and middle east. Within the materialist theory (marx) it is argued that in early societies women enjoyed a high position as division of labour between men/women was reciprocal not exploitative. Movement away from communal ownership of property led to private property o(cid:449)(cid:374)ership led to a lo(cid:449)er status for (cid:449)o(cid:373)e(cid:374); ele(cid:448)atio(cid:374) of (cid:373)e(cid:374)"s status (cid:449)ithi(cid:374) the fa(cid:373)il(cid:455), leading to the patriarchal family. Patriarchal family structures led to a need to guarantee the paternity of property heirs (cid:894)(cid:373)e(cid:374) i(cid:374) (cid:272)harge of (cid:449)o(cid:373)e(cid:374)"s se(cid:454)ualit(cid:455), (cid:448)irgi(cid:374)ity become economic property), economic subordination, and political subjugation (women subordination upheld by state) Examples of harsher laws included debt pawns (man allowed to pawn wife and children), laws allowed for abuse of women, and marital codes (men could divorce wives without providing support but wife could rarely get a divorce) Men were allowed multiple wives and sex with slaves/prostitutes, women were killed if they did this.
