Blog Assignment II

Meg Bogin gives many examples of how women were made pawns of men during the Middle Ages. On pages 10 and 11 Bogin talks about how women were simply meant to bear children and nothing else. They were seen as incarnations of Eve, who was the first sinner and therefore all women who followed her were also sinners. If she was sterile or only had daughters, she could be placed in a convent. On page 24, Bogin makes another strong point, showing that women were pawns of men. There, she mentions how women were rarely allowed to appear in court and even where they were(Germany, she mentions here) she says that one man's testimony was equal to three women's testimonies. But perhaps the most disturbing example of masculine domination can be seen on the next page, page 25, where Bogin talks about the regular occurrence of rape during the Middle Ages. She talks about how it was not uncommon for noble women to be raped by guests that were passing through, or how the Lord had a right to the serfs wife on their wedding night. All in all, things have changed for women since then. Today, women are no longer the pawns of men, at least in western society. Women can vote, can appear in court, can serve in government and own property everywhere. However, one could make the argument that in certain areas of the world, particularly in the Islamic Middle East, little has changed for women. In an area such as the Middle East, women are still relegated to a secondary role in society.