AP European History DBQ- Women

A detailed Summary of AP European History DBQ- Women

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the embryonic stage of women's quest for intellectual and social parity with men. The evolution of women's fight for equal opportunities was bogged down by a long history of stereotyping and condescension. Women were weaker physically, bore children and nurtured them. The economics and culture of Europe at this time was strongly influenced by religion and resulted in prejudice against women. The dominating religions of Europe in the 1600's and 1700's (Catholicism and Protestantism), citing the bible, reinforced women's roles as mother's, wives, and homemakers. Women were considered the weaker sex both physically and mentally. Men and most women assumed that because women gave birth and produced milk for their infants, God intended that their place was in the home. Men's egos, as well, did not allow for women to compete with them. Males thought their place was to rule, fight wars, provide income, teach and be the head of his family. Women were not accepted in academics, politics, church leadership, business, or the military. Despite these prejudices, women saw an opportunity in the sciences. As a discipline based on observations and deductive reasoning it did not necessarily require a comprehensive

Four out of the five documents against women participating in the sciences (documents one, three, eight, and ten) all written by men, are almost solely based on stereotypical, traditional views of women. These documents gave several ideas, without good reasons, of why women belong in the house and with the children rather than studying science. The statements contained stereotypical views of women including how a women's beauty was lessened, how she could not continue to do the chores of the house as efficiently, or how the fact that a woman attempts scientific studies (despite her qualifications) was embarrassing.

Documents four, nine, and thirteen all convey the same message, one of equality. Document four does this by illustrating both a male and a female working together to achieve a common scientific task. At first, documents nine and thirteen both tell of how society conceived a "learned woman" to be abnormal. In contrast though, the article describing Dorothea Schlozer, the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from a German university, tells of how a woman can continue to complete her household tasks while excelling in the sciences. The date that this article appeared must also be recognized, it was written in 1787 (the most recent of the documents), signifying this as one of the last big steps to liberate women into the academic field of science.

While most people in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries retained stereotypical beliefs on women, a growing number of intellectuals tried t

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Approximate Word count = 1011
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History