if women were treated badly for so long in history?

Question

why did they not refuse to have childr?

esp. if they knew the sons were treated more highly than their own mothers

Answer 1

That would have meant going without sex. Remember that the contraceptive pill has only been around since the 1960s. Although various other profilactics have been tried throughout history, either they have not been effective or not widely available.

(Sorry for the spelling, spell checker is out).

Answer 2

Vietnam was not the only place where women were treated as equal. Other societies within Asia held women in high regard before European colonization took place. India, Philippines, Polynesia, and other countries were not so patriarchal before Europeans introduced their values and imposed their influence. This misconception that women all over the world were considered inferior to men up until the civil rights movement in America is nothing short of delusional. This just shows how much of a bubble Americans and westerners in general are living when they believe that their tiny social revolutions accurately reflect the entire world history of gender relations. Besides the obvious reason of physical strength advantage for men, cultures that have been patriarchal and had long established gender inequality throughout most of their history were also heavily influenced this way by the Abrahamic religions. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Answer 3

Women have also been considered the "Second Sex." The males have always been more dominant and superior. Plus, long time ago, there wasn't any birth control pills nor were there any contraceptives until the 1920's. But those things were mostly in use by the 1960's. Women always bore the burden of being controlled by their male counterparts. They were dependent on the males because they were the breadwinners and gave them a place to live. They didn't really have any choices back then as they do now in the modern era.

Answer 4

Fairly simple. Have kids, or get divorced and make it on your own. Have kids or die.
Individual freedom is a very, very new concept in the world. Things have not always been like they are now. I am 60 and remember when my mother could not have a credit card and could not have a drivers liscense without my Dad's approval. When I lived in Spain, in the 70's, my wife could not contract for electricity or gas. I had to do it. So things have not always been so rosy.
I know it seems like things are bad now, but believe me, we are working on it. It has only been less then 40 years that people of different color could legally marry.

Answer 5

I recently took a class in American Minorities which discussed the reasons that women are a minority, even though 52% of the population are women. In history, women were taught, from as early as Bible days to be submissive to their spouse. They would have never thought of not having children, not to mention, no birth control available.LOL Women were comfortable in their roles as mothers or wives. It is what they were told to do by their mother, grandmother, etc. So, you see even though, they were being treated, what we now think is badly, many of them didn't feel that way. It was just the way it was back then.

Answer 6

Its a natural tendency/urge to want to have children for male and females.
Some women may have refused, but others wouldn't have went along with it

Answer 7

Because back then very few women would stand up to men. It is taught in them very young to listen to their husbands and such and until the women's movements very few women would make a stand.

Answer 8

sadly for those many years refusing was not a choice nor an option either.

Answer 9

how can you refuse to have a child when men are raping you? i dont think they had they idea of abortion back then, it was probably a sin. as well as a sin to disobey your husband if he wants sex he is going to get sex then and there

Answer 10

I don't think a lot of them had the choice to say no.