CHANGING GENDER ROLES

• 1. What were "Victorian" ideals of gender roles? How did they spread around the world?

  • women were to stay in the home, and if they went out, they usually only went to spaces separate from men
  • bc of the global reach of the British Empire, these ideas spread all over the world, often through force
• 1. This period saw the rise of the "new women" in Europe and America. Who were "new women"?

  • women who sought greater access to higher education and more freedoms
• 1. What kinds of impacts did European imperialism have on women in Asia in this period?


  • they were hired as inexpensive labor for European plantations and factories. comditions in these areas were similar to other plantation systems in that the work was hard, the conditions were horrific, and the pay was very low
  • the conditions and discriminatory practices of the European imperialists did push women and men to seek out reforms and independence
• How women in Nigeria attempted to use their traditional roles as mothers to protest British taxes and colonialism


  1. Organized resistance movements and demonstrations

  2. Used traditional practices such as symbolic stripping, where women removed their clothes and performed rituals, to shame and protest against the colonial authorities

  3. Leveraged their roles as mothers and community leaders to demonstrate defiance against colonial oppression and assert their rights to protect their families and livelihoods
• Igbo-Ibibio women in Nigeria


  • Were angered when British officials attempted to tax women's property
  • Mobilized and used traditional practices to shame and protest against the colonial authorities
• Marxism (socialism)


  Advocating for equality regardless of class or gender
• Marxist theory


  • Envisioned a society where all people, regardless of their gender, would have equal access to resources, opportunities, and leadership positions
  • Traditional gender roles were still present in Marxist ideology, but theoretically both men and women could attain leadership roles and advance as workers and in the party
• Marxism


  Provided a framework for challenging traditional gender norms and promoting the idea of gender equality within the context of class struggle and revolutionary movements
• Nationalism created


  Both opportunities and challenges for gender equality
• Nationalism


  • Promoted a sense of unity and solidarity among people within a nation
  • Often reinforced traditional gender roles and expectations
• Women were praised as patriots for

  Their roles as homemakers and mothers
• Men were seen as

  The primary actors in the governance and defense of the nation
• Nationalism


  Provided women with opportunities to participate in political and social movements aimed at achieving independence from colonial powers
• While nationalism may not have directly created gender equality, it did provide a platform for women to assert their rights and challenge traditional gender roles within the context of broader struggles for national liberation and self-determination
• • In the long nineteenth century, new ideologies such as socialism, nationalism, and women's rights challenged traditional gender roles worldwide
• • The Industrial Revolution brought many women into the workforce, contributing to shifts in gender roles and expectations
• • In East and Southeast Asia, Confucianism reinforced gender hierarchies, defining women as subordinate to men and restricting their roles to the private sphere
• • European imperialism in Asia led to changes in traditional gender roles, with some women breaking free from societal constraints, especially during times of war or economic necessity
• • In Africa and Latin America, resistance to colonialism led to changes in gender roles, with women taking on political roles in independence movements and challenging patriarchal values imposed by European powers
• • Marxist theories influenced independence movements, advocating for equality regardless of gender and class. Industrialization and independence movements helped to change gender norms by increasing women's participation in the workforce and fostering solidarity among workers