In the 18th century the dichotomy of Aristotle was inherited, which absorbed the combination of woman and material, and men absorbed form or spirit, thus establishing the superiority of men over women. Also Plato, the Neoplaton philosopher, the founding father of the church and the theology of the Middle Ages believed that this division was effective, thus hardening in Western culture. Therefore, it is not surprising that the philosophers, materialists and sensuals of the Enlightenment century are particularly interested in women, because women are fundamentally determined by their body and therefore are the embodiment of sensitive substances. Women in the 18th century were both objects of erotic imagination, aesthetic taste and moral and social criticism. The culture of the Enlightenment has involved women in vague ways. On the one hand, in fact, it was philosophical thought that clarified the concept of the individual and introduced a critique of inequality and tradition, a critique that in successive centuries provided women with a model for equal participation in social life. . On the other hand, in the Enlightenment and in the thinking of men in the eighteenth century, all this rarely extends to women. Unlike the situation of previous centuries, this is no longer an imperfect person, but a different creature. To define this diversity, new discourses on femininity have been presented in different fields of knowledge. Despite the existence of very different social realities, according to gender criteria, this discourse tends to show women in a unitary way. Under the reflection of the philosophers, two separate areas have been more and more clearly defined: the natural world to which women belong and the unique cultural characteristics of men.Men are different from women and there is a mediation relationship with people. Passion and imagination come from women’s dependence on nature. This natural psychology often makes her fall into childhood and is not suitable for intellectual activities. On the other hand, their social roles and functions are always derived from the roles (reproduction and paternity) attributed to women by nature: women are essentially women and mothers. These functions exalt its value, but exclude it from public places and make it the private domain of the family. First, initial isolation must be based on women’s social and territorial ancestry and different economic conditions. In fact, in the 18th century, the gap between the situation of rural and urban women increased. In fact, in rural areas, work is still basically family work. At home the monetary circulation is very small, the different economic sectors (production, sale, services) are not separate and the activities of women are carried out by men in the cities and are remunerated, When we talk about the new horizons of women in the streets, in the squares and in the world of work, we refer essentially to the urban reality. Here, especially in the second half of this century, we have begun to see the signs of a gradual separation between the world of work and domestic work. In the next century, this separation will affect a large number of women through the spread of female paid work, which will cause social tensions and changes in family structures. But already during the 18th century, some measures to limit women’s work explicitly expressed concern that an increasing number of women were excluded from domestic work. In the lower classes, contrary to the orientation of the middle and upper classes, the use of the baltica was extended and, at the same time, there was an unprecedented increase in the number of newborn dropouts. While there were middle-class women who were engaged in activities previously reserved for men (e.g., journalism), in the lower classes women’s work was part of the traditional sectors of domestic occupations, of textile and clothing work. The women who were part of the upper classes of society were the real protagonists of the moral discourses and philosophical dissertations of the Illuminists. They were mostly educated women in convents and often destined to enter the “beautiful world”, where reputation became a symbol of their life. However, the social and cultural influence of the women of this bourgeois aristocratic elite began to increase, especially in France, through fashion, salons and intense patronage activity. In the 19th century, the first feminist and suffrage bodies were also disseminated at the European level and in the United States: William Godwin and his wife Mary Wollstonecraft spoke out and fought for equality, the latter launching the feminist movement. Women’s suffrage was also supported by John Stuart Mill during his election to the House of The position of women in the Victorian era, despite the fact that the sovereign was a woman, is often regarded as the symbol of the remarkable discrepancy between England’s national power and wealth and the backward social status. During the reign of Queen Victoria, women’s lives became increasingly difficult due to the spread of the “angel woman” ideal, shared by most of society. Commons. The Marxist and socialist movement also played an important role in women’s emancipation. The legal rights of married women were similar to those of their children: they could not vote, sue or own any property. In addition, women were seen as pure and clean beings. Because of this vision, their bodies were seen as temples that did not have to be adorned with jewels or used for physical exertion or sexual practice. The role of women was limited to procreation and housekeeping. They could not pursue a profession, unless it was that of teacher or domestic, nor had the right to have their own accounts or savings books. Despite their status as “home angels”, venerated as saints, their legal status was terribly poor. The first important goal is to obtain the right to vote for which the suffragettes fought. As a result of global conflicts, women, who had replaced the many men sent to the front lines at work, gained more roles in society and opportunities for work outside the family. In addition, they started to open independent shops. Women have fought to support changes in the area of law, from voting to IVG, from divorce to laws on sexual violence. The achievements of women in the Western world have resulted in increased rights and a smaller gender gap. Even in the Western world, however, no real equality had been achieved. Violence against women continues to be present in Western countries. According to a European Parliament survey, “at least 20% of European women have been victims of violence in family relations, and this is one of the main causes of women’s deaths.”
Federico Zene 4N
