Similar to the modern or industrial societies, the agrarian or traditional societies comprised of males and females who shared distinct interpersonal relationships guided by a wider array of factors. The most pertinent factor guides the interpersonal relationships between males and females are cultural beliefs. Worth noting is the fact that the modern or industrial society evolved from an agrarian society. Such evolution has led to various changes, which differentiate the traditional societies from the modern societies. Despite such differences, there exists some similarities between the two societies (Fisher & Nicholson, 2014). Freedom accorded to males and females occurs as one of the primary factors that distinguishes the modern society from the traditional one. In fact, there exists certain similarities and differences between freedom accorded to males and females in the modern and agrarian societies.
Similarities
While much has been hypothesized regarding freedom, it is essential to note that it primarily connotes to the act of allowing an individual to act without any form of hindrance. A close analysis of the agrarian societies shows that males and females shared certain freedoms depending on seasons. During seasons when food supply was low, women and men had the freedom to engage in hunting and gathering activities. However, during seasons when food supply was high, women were confined to working at home, whereas men continued with hunting and gathering (Joseph, 2014). This is relatively similar to the modern societies whereby men and women have the freedom to engage in any form of livelihood sustaining activities. However, it is the men who are often tasked with the central role of catering for the family needs.
Another similarity that exist between the modern and agrarian societies on matter regarding freedom can be explained in terms of leadership or political positions. In the agrarian society, men had the upper hand political matters. As a result, women were seldom engaged in political matters. In the agrarian societies, females were raised with the notion that their role was confined to producing make offspring’s who would become citizens. As such, women freedom was greatly limited to reproduction and family upkeep. This is also the case in the modern society whereby despite the fact that women are allowed to occupy political positions, a significant proportion of men still dominate. In fact, women freedom to participate in political leadership positions remains a matter that is opposed by certain population segments (Bock & James, 2005). This depicts the similarity that exists between male and female freedom between modern and agrarian societies.
Differences
Evidently, there exist a wider array of differences pertaining freedom accorded to males and females between the agrarian and the modern societies. The first difference aligns with the fact that women in the modern world are offered an equal platform in which they can engage equally with men. As an example, women in the modern societies are allowed to join armies and fight in combat zones. This was not the case in the agrarian societies in that men were the only ones accorded the freedom to become warriors (Fisher & Nicholson, 2014). As a result, women in the traditional societies had limited freedom of only acting as spies for the warriors. In other cases, women only provided food for the warriors and that marked the end of the contribution that women could offer during war times. The inclusion of women in the army as evident in the modern world has been hailed since women have turned out to be better soldiers than it was thought before.
Another notable difference on male and female freedom in the modern and traditional world relates with matters of family establishment. In the agrarian societies, women were not accorded freedom to establish families independently. Instead, females were married off by their parents. In fact, forcefully married off to a male of their parent’s choice. For this reason, women in the traditional societies had limited freedom on matters regarding their sexuality. On the contrary, women in the contemporary world have the freedom to choose and marry males of their choice. Furthermore, women in the modern society have the freedom to establish family’s singlehandedly, even in cases where they do not have a husband (Bock & James, 2005). This analysis depicts the manner in which freedom enshrined to men and women differs between modern and traditional societies.
Conclusion
References
Bock, G., & James, S. (2005). Beyond Equality and Difference: Citizenship, Feminist Politics and Female Subjectivity. London: Routledge Publishers.
Fisher, D., & Nicholson, S. E. (2014). Integral voices on sex, gender, and sexuality. Sydney: Oxford Publishers.
Joseph, C. (2014). Growing Up Female in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia. Boston: Routledge Publishers.
