World History : Gender roles through time and across cultures
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for World History
All World History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
Which of these statements about women in ancient Mesopotamian society is most accurate?
Women were more disempowered than they were in any other contemporary society
Women were generally less powerful than men, but had many rights not seen elsewhere - such as the right to own property
Women were the full societal equals of men; they were allowed to own property and hold elected office
Mesopotamia was a matriarchal society; women held more power than did men
Women were generally less powerful than men, but had many rights not seen elsewhere - such as the right to own property
Women in Mesopotamia generally had less societal power than men; however, they enjoyed certain rights and privileges which were uncommon elsewhere in the world. Women had the right to own property and businesses, for example.
Example Question #2 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
Women were granted full citizenship in which of the following empires?
The Aztec Empire
The Roman Empire
The Han Dynasty
The Spanish Empire
The medieval Islamic Empire
The Roman Empire
During the Roman Empire, women could receive educations, own property, and run businesses, but were considered inferior to men. Still, this places the Roman Empire on a higher level of gender equality than many of its contemporaries and empires to come - in Han China or medieval Arabia, women were completely subservient to their husbands and, in many areas, not even permitted to leave their homes.
Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
Which of the following is one of the ways that the Protestant Reformation transformed marriage?
Marriage was based less on transferring wealth and property and more often based on love
Women were given more positions in the clergy, making marriage less central to religious life
Men were encouraged to take many spouses, leading to an increase in polygamous marriages
Women lost their long-held access to education, forcing them to rely on marriage for economic stability
Marriage was based less on love and more often based on transferring wealth and property
Marriage was based less on transferring wealth and property and more often based on love
Historically, marriage in Europe signified as much (if not more) for the families of the betrothed than for the bride and groom themselves - marriages would be strategically arranged to secure social status, distribute wealth and estate, and (in the case of nobles) establish political alliances. Notions of individualism that stemmed from the Reformation, however, led to an increase in marriages for love. Marriage did continue remain a primarily economic arrangement in many cases even after the Reformation.
Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
Which of the following societies from throughout world history most closely resemble a matriarchy?
The mediaeval English Monarchy
The Han Dynasty
The Mughal Empire
Zulu tribes in sub-Saharan Africa
Hopi tribes in western North America
Hopi tribes in western North America
Hopi tribes, along with some other contemporary Amerindian societies, functioned as a matriarchy. Unlike the majority of civilizations, which functioned as patriarchies, those that operated as matriarchies lent senior women decision-making power, and families were traced matrilineally. Despite these facts, historians doubt that any society has existed, matriarchy or not, in which women were given a higher place in the social order than men.
Example Question #2 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
Which of the following events in Chinese history resulted in greater social freedom for women in the LONG TERM?
The Mongol invasion
The Maoist Cultural Revolution
The seizure of the Tibetan state
The death of Wu Zeitan in 705 CE
The Opium Wars
The Mongol invasion
The Mongol invasion itself brought death and destruction to Chinese cities. But in the century that followed, under Mongol reign, Chinese women could own property, do business, and travel freely. Noble women were no longer required to bind their feet, and women were encouraged to hunt or become soldiers, two roles previously reserved for men. Additionally, Mongols vigilantly protected urban areas and highways, making traveling alone more safe - and less taboo - for women.
Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
How did World War II transform the role of women in American society?
Emboldened by national pride, women began to vote in record numbers, ushering in a progressive revolution
Women were forced to dress and act more conservatively by austerity measures brought on by the war
Women were readily offered military positions, joining the ranks in numbers that nearly equaled men
Women flooded to fill manufacturing jobs left open by men who were drafted, establishing a large female workforce
Women were less likely to marry after the war, instead pursuing higher education in larger numbers
Women flooded to fill manufacturing jobs left open by men who were drafted, establishing a large female workforce
Women made up the majority of the American workforce during parts of the war, seeking high-demand jobs in traditionally-male fields like manufacturing. In addition to the huge contribution to the war effort this trend provided, women stayed in the workforce in higher numbers after the war. This led to the explosion in the American working mother demographic through the baby boom.
Example Question #1 : Gender Roles Through Time And Across Cultures
Which classical civilization was known for having strong cultural values of gender equality?
Han China
None of these
Mauryan Empire in India
Roman Empire
None of these
Large-scale movements toward gender equality did not exist until the Modern Era with the Suffrage movement in the 19th and 20th centuries.
All World History Resources
