Module 2 Discussion: "Women's Rights in the Middle Ages"
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In a post below, respond to the following prompt.
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This discussion assesses course objective no. 6, "Discuss musical diversity and how it relates to our global society," and module learning objective, "Identify ways in which humans have used music for social and expressive purposes."
Prompt
Women’s Rights in the Middle Ages
Women had few rights in the Middle Ages, and it was only in the 20th Century that women were given the right to vote. The church followed guidelines established in the bible that stated: "Let your women keep silence in churches: for it is not permitted unto them; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also sayeth the law." (1 Corinthians 14:34, c/f 1 Corinthians 11:3-9 & Timothy 2:11-12)
Because of these bible verses, women were not allowed to speak in church. Women could only sing in convents and were not allowed to sing in public. They had to sit in the back of the church and cover their heads. They were considered possessions; owned first by their fathers then by their husbands. Thomas Aquinas, the famous Catholic Theologian taught that women were inferior beings, having a higher water content than men which made them sexually incontinent, weak, and unreliable. He taught that women were inferior because they had been conceived from defective sperm or a damp wind during conception. In 1580 the Pope forbid women to appear on public stage which led to the barbaric castration of men in the Baroque Period so they could sing in a higher range of a woman on stage.
But it was not just the Catholic church that viewed women as inferior beings. Samuel Butler (1612-1680), in "Miscellaneous Thoughts" in The Poems of Samuel Butler stated that “The souls of women are so small, that some believe they've none at all”. The German priest and Father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther (1483-1546), insisted on a man's right to beat his wife. He also stated that it was a woman's duty to bear children, even if killed her "If they become tired or even die, it does not matter. Let them die in childbirth - that is why they are there".
When we look at the ways women were viewed for generations, we can see why their rights were severely limited. We have made tremendous strides in giving women equal rights.
Question:
Do you think women have full and equal rights today or do you think there is still work to be done to get more equality in our present time?