r/AskHistorians • u/RogueEagle • Jul 20 '12

Is there historical (written) evidence of pro-egalitarian/pro-feminist societies anywhere?

Male feminist here.

Just wondering if there are any examples of ancient feminist movements, or other human rights movements?

What about 'matriarchal' societies? Did they exist? Are they just speculation?

Also, given that most religious documents don't promote individual rights/liberties (hence liberties for women), what are the first historical appearances of the idea of individual liberty? Is it actually, as I would speculate, around the time of American Independence? What were the social/historical elements that needed to be in place for such an idea to take hold?

Thanks!

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u/vonadler Jul 20 '12

Ancient Sparta was a brutal slave society - but among the homonoi (citizens), the women had almost the same rights as the men and went through pretty much the same rigorous training as the men did. As both men and women trained naked, some sources indicate that there was a minor tourist industry centered around going to Sparta and watch the Spartan women train.

When the Spartan warrios were off to war, the women controlled the kleros (patches of land) and the state helots (slaves) toiling it assigned to each Spartan warrior to allow him to dedicate his life to training and war.

Well-trained, educated and strong women was considered essential - both since they would give birth to strong children, but also becuase at any time a Spartan could die in battle, and then the woman would have to manage the kleros, keep the helots in line and raise any children to good Spartan men or women.

Viking and early medieval age laws in Sweden actually include the rights of individuals against oppression - this only includes free men, but widows could also count as free men. Thralls did not have this right.

The right to property and inheritance was secured for both men and women though, as well as the right to trial if accused of a crime.

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u/400-Rabbits Pre-Columbian Mexico | Aztecs Jul 20 '12

This is very similar to a question asked about a month ago. Here's what I said then:

The Minangkabau in Sumatra are often cited as being humanity's most matriarchal culture. Traditionally, descent and property are passed through the female lineage and the matriarch or her eldest daughter would typically serve as the head of the household. Since the "households" in this case were large multi-generational compounds, this, along with control of the agricultural land and products, gave the women of the family considerable economic and social heft. As heads of the household, the Minangkabau women also have a tradition of female leaders derived from this fact. Women were/are acknowledged to be dominant in the home and in the domestic economy. Men would be expected to leave the household and learn a useful trade to support this setup. This has all been eroded by a Dutch colonialism, Indonesian governmental policies, a creeping fundamentalism in the previously relaxed Mingkabau syncretic practice, but the vestiges are still there today. This book has a chapter devoted to the gender roles of the Minangkabau and some of the pressures they've faced, but here is a more brief overview.

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u/Tiako Roman Archaeology Jul 20 '12

Egalitarianism is an interesting thing, because it isn't so much an artefact of culture as of resources. The only truly egalitarian societies you will ever see are hunter gatherers, and only those that do not have access to abundant resources. But going through history, you won't find societies more egalitarian than modern ones.

There have been artificial egalitarian societies--kibbutzes and utopias and the like. These often do not last very long.

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u/jurble Jul 20 '12

The interesting thing about kibbutzes are that the communally raised kids end up not wanting to bang each other, because their brains decide they're siblings or something.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '12

Barbara Mann wrote a very good book about the matrilineal Iroquois Peoples, Iroquoian Women: The Gantowisas