Dependence on or the Subordination of Women? Examining the Political, Domestic, and Religious Roles of Women in Mesoamerican, Andean, and Spanish Societies in the 15th Century

Author(s)

Christine Alwan, University of Dayton

Document Type

Essay

Award Designation

Honorable mention

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

What is the value of a woman? In the modern West, one may answer with appeals to human rights and the inherent dignity and equality of the human person. However, before the recognition of human rights, many societies’ ideas about the value of women laid in the specific roles women played religiously, politically, and domestically within a particular society. Through the examination of women’s roles in Mesoamerican Aztec society, Andean Incan society, and Spanish society in the 15th century, one is able to observe how gender ideology influenced the roles women played and how these roles had significant implications for personal freedom and the realization of women’s human dignity.

Disciplines

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Women's Studies

Comments

The document available for download is provided with the permission of the author. Permission documentation is on file.

eCommons Citation

Alwan, Christine, "Dependence on or the Subordination of Women? Examining the Political, Domestic, and Religious Roles of Women in Mesoamerican, Andean, and Spanish Societies in the 15th Century" (2013). Joyce Durham Essay Contest in Women's and Gender Studies. 18.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/wgs_essay/18