Student Paper SP002-07
Spring 2000, Section I
Reviewer Comments

 

Gender Conflict Throughout European Society

 

 

Throughout modern European history, there has always been some type of conflict that has hindered a certain group or culture.  Whether it was a conflict concerning gender, politics, or social status, modern Europe seems to always have conflict. Many women in European society were treated with no respect and were not given the opportunities that of which men possessed. This essay describes some of the situations women were in and also discusses possible reasons why European society would be so conflict ridden.

 

One issue that women faced in Europe was their standing in the political issues of European society.  Most women were looked at as having no value to the community which they lived in and many were forced to go to the battle fields in civil war.  In an account written by a European woman named Emmeline Pankhurst, she discusses her situation of having no rights while being in the war.  Pankhurst goes on to state that women should either be killed or given their full citizenship so they can live their lives to pursue full liberty.¹  There always seemed to be same conflict, even when ends would sometimes meet.  When some Europeans would finally agree that women should have more political rights, then there was a disagreement on how many and what certain rights they should have.  One point that should be remembered is that not all women believed that they should have more political rights.  During this time of political conflict, there were many women who thought that the political rights of women were just fine where they were and that nothing should be changed.  This is just another great example of conflict within itself that hindered the European society.

 

Another big obstacle that women faced in European society was the way they were forced to work in unsuitable places for many hours.  In many parts of England, young women and adult women were forced to work in coal mines.²  They performed the same types of dangerous underground work that boys and men performed and also put in the same amount of hours.  These women worked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the mines with a brief lunch break and just bread and water at night before being so exhausted and having to go to bed.³  To get a better picture of what it looked like in the mines, Sub-Commissioner J.C. Symons described the scene saying, "Girls regularly perform all the various offices of trapping, hurrying, filling, riddling, tipping, and occasionally getting, just as they are performed by boys.  One of the most disgusting sights I have ever seen was that of young females, dressed like boys in trousers, crawling on all fours, with belts round their waists and chains passing between their legs, at day pits at Hunshelf Bank, and in many small pits near Holmfirth and New Mills:  it exists also in several other places."⁴  These types of activities brought on a variety of conflicts with women and how they are treated and what rights they have.

 

European women in the late 19th century also faced the problem of having less access to education than men.  With the little education that some women did receive, it was still far off from what men were receiving and therefore there was a majority of women who were illiterate.  In the late 1800's and early 1900's, some opportunities raised for women because of some universities opening up more for women.  This caused a huge conflict with men, mostly the educational elite, because they didn't like the thought of being challenged by a woman and thought that they should stick to their traditional roles at home.⁵ Most women could not get accepted into college, though because they lacked an early education and could not get in.

 

In this time of conflict, gender roles were not the only subject of conflict in European society.  One topic is the social status of individuals and what rights they have, from property to religious rights.  Due to the many different viewpoints and opinions on this subject, conflicts were often regular when discussing it.  In Rousseau's The Social Contract, he argues the rights of man and how society conflicts with those rights.  The most important idea that Rousseau stresses throughout the document is that the power of each individual man is his only way of freedom and self preservation.  To some people, this was an honest way of thinking that could benefit everyone, but to others it was a break from the norm and shouldn't even be considered. It is obvious that the topic of social status and the rights of individuals was a big concern and caused many headaches and conflicts in European society.

 

In summary, there are many characteristics in modern European history that are filled with violence and conflicts.  No one can tell exactly why there are so many topics of conflict that effect European society besides the difference of background and opinion.  Due to the very diverse beginnings in Europe, there was a variety of views out there that caused it to be a very diverse place.  At times women tried to fight for their rights and privileges, but that angered many men and challenged the original roles of women.  Therefore, women were often hesitant to support feminist causes because they had been so thoroughly accustomed to their particular roles.  It should be safe to say that the many conflicts that occur in modern European history all relate to the roots and beginnings of the society and thus making it a place of many views and opinions, all of which can be debated.

 

1.      Modern History Sourcebook: Emmeline Pankhurst: "Militant Suffragist", 1913.

2.      Modern History Sourcebooks: "Women Miners in the English Coal Pits", 1842.

3.      Modern History Sourcebooks: "Women Miners in the English Coal Pits", 1842.

4.      Modern History Sourcebooks: "Women Miners in the English Coal Pits", 1842.

5.      Donald Kagan, The Western Heritage (New Jersey) 847.

6.      Jean Jacques Rousseau, "The Social Contract", 1763.