The Role of Women During the Enlightment

I was sifting through some of my earlier works and found an article on the role of women during the Enlightenment that I think you'll enjoy. It's a straightforward account of the changes being made by some forward female thinkers. For those of you beginning anthropologists looking at feminism, educating yourself on the theories of the enlightenment is key to your studies.

Here's an excerpt:

During the Enlightenment, women were looked upon as prone to vice, insatiable, and easily swayed. Their opinions meant little and their place was in the home. However, in the wake of the Enlightenment, women were starting to overcome the previous idea that they were a liability and not a voice of reason. Women debaters started to argue that women can use rational thought and can also grow with education. However, little had changed, and men used science to find ways to disprove the theories that women had a place in society. Men were even able to take over the role of midwives; however the midwives were still able to practice with the lower classes, as professionals were not needed to serve these individuals. Continued...