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African American WomenAncient Women's HistoryAir & SpaceArt, Music, Writers, MediaFeminism, Suffrage, RightsLife: Family, Work. FashionMedicine, Nursing, HealthMilitary & War: WomenPoliticians, Queens, LawsReligion, Goddess, WitchesMedieval Women's HistorySocial Reform MovementsScience & MathSports & AthletesWomen's History Basics | Issues and Events in Women's HistoryBy Jone Johnson Lewis, About.com Guide to Women's History Women have been active in a variety of ways throughout history, but their contributions and lives have been especially visible around certain issues and events. Here are some key issues and events in women's history to explore.
Theory and Practice of Women's History The discipline of women's history shares much with the general study of history, but is also different. Here are some key articles and resources on the theory and practice of women's history.
Women's History CalendarFind out what happened on today in women's history -- or on any day. Issues in American History Here are some key events, issues, and individuals in women's history that are major topics in the study of general American history.
Women's Work Though "women's work" and women's role in the economy has been defined differently through the ages, there's truth to the slogan, "every woman is a working woman." An older saying, "men work from sun to sun, women's work is never done" expresses the reality that for almost all women through history, they have worked in the home at domestic chores and sometimes in the public work world, too. Here are some resources for further study of women's work through the ages, and women's participation in the public work sector in more recent years.
Women and War Traditionally, men have gone to war, and women have "kept the home fires burning." They also took care of their families, took over the men's jobs, and sometimes went to war themselves -- in earlier times, sometimes disguised as a man. Some women rulers, and more recently some women heads of state, have led their people in or to war. Here are some resources on women and war:
Women and Social Reform Especially since the 19th century, women have been leaders in various movements to reform society. Originally, women (and men) conceived this as an extension of women's role as homemakers, calling reform "public housekeeping." Here are some resources on social reform movements which have had women in key roles:
Women's Lives Women's history as a discipline makes the assumption that it is not only in being major figures in public events that women have been part of history. Even when women have been relegated primarily to the private sphere, their influence there and the way women lived their lives are important topics to study. Here are some resources on various aspects of women's lives through history.
Fashion History Through most of history, cultures have differentiated male from female in part through what each wears. Here are resources on women's fashions through history.
Myths of Women's History It's hard enough to know, as a women's history student or teacher or researcher, that so much of the historical record ignored women, and so "her story" is hard to find. But then, sometimes, you run into information that "everyone knows" but it just ain't so. Here are some "Just Ain't So" stories, and my opinion on whether what "everyone knows" is true or not. |
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