Book Review On Comparative Cultures

Since the start of time, there has been a difference between men and women in the society, especially what each could do. This was not different in the Sioux and Victorian American cultures. The Sioux culture emphasized on the sanctity of marriage. Additionally, they forbade extramarital and premarital intercourse. In this culture, the role of women was to serve their husbands and act as their ornaments. They were not allowed to pursue careers. During this era, women were objectified and those in the lower socio-economic scale were regarded as fair game for men who had money and power to buy their bodies and time. During the Victorian culture in America, women were required to look innocent in terms of dressing and by not being revealing.
However, they were required to also balance this by looking well put and sophisticated every time. Their role was to bear children and to look after the household. During this era, women were not allowed to take up jobs outside the family. It is uncanny how both societies exhibited similarities in how they controlled their women. In both societies, the actions of the women reflected on the men. Consequently, the Victorian society required women to look innocent but also sophisticated and well put. The Sioux society required women to exhibit purity by preserving themselves for marriage. The restrictions that were meted on women at this time were done in order to reinforce the traditionally approved division of labor. Additionally, the society was marked by male chauvinism. As such, women were dominated by men.
There are different attitudes about women today compared to the attitudes that were presented in the Sioux and Victorian societies. Nonetheless, some attitudes from that era still permeate the society today. In the two societies, attitudes towards women were that they should take u jobs that involve taking care of the family and meeting the needs of their husbands. This attitude still shapes the society today. Women are taking up such jobs among other reasons for fear of criticism that they are behaving against the norm.
In the Sioux and Victorian societies, women were not allowed to pursue careers. Instead, they were confined to meeting the needs of the family and those of their men. Conversely, women in today’s American society are career leaders. For instance, women in today’s society unlike the Sioux and Victorian societies are heads of organizations. Where men were viewed as the sole providers in the family, there has been a paradigm shift. Presently, women are heads of some households and also provide for their families.
Another attitude towards women that was present in the Sioux Culture that is dissimilar from the American culture today is the view that women should be innocent. Unlike the culture today, the Sioux era prohibited extramarital and premarital sexual intercourse. In the present American culture, premarital sex is rampant among the young generation. The rate of divorce attributed to extramarital sexual intercourse is also high. The Victorian culture required women to look sophisticated and well put. This is still evident in today’s American society where the desired woman is collected, sophisticated and educated.
In conclusion, it is evident that both the Sioux and Victorian American cultures played an integral role in the evolution of today’s American culture. Where the present culture retained some of the attitudes from the Sioux and Victorian cultures, it completely overhauled other attitudes. Either way, the Sioux and Victorian culture have left an indelible mark on the American society.