When you write about "women" who were able to go against the rules, you describe women from the higher classes. Even while a NW European society is (kind of) equal regarding genders, it is still divided in classes.
This rings true as an explanation of gender equality, especially from the 19th century where coed education started to take hold. Not just for the chattering classes either, at least not in Denmark.
I was recently reading an informal memoir by my great-uncle, whose parents were smallholder farmers. They met in the 1880s at Vallekilde Højskole, which must have been co-ed by then. Can’t think of anything similar elsewhere. Maybe in religious revival movements, but the “højskole” movement was secular.
Wow. Great article and fascinating!
A remarkable synthesis! So many relevant factors so clearly explained. Beautifully done — and quite convincing.
Please do not respond to this! Scam-spam!
Great stuff! We need this disseminated as widely now as ever!
Very interesting and thought provoking, although I’d recommend you use the word “sex”, rather than “gender”. Otherwise we get situations like this:
https://www.feministcurrent.com/2022/07/22/christina-ellingsen-is-facing-prison-time-for-saying-that-men-cant-be-women/
When you write about "women" who were able to go against the rules, you describe women from the higher classes. Even while a NW European society is (kind of) equal regarding genders, it is still divided in classes.
This rings true as an explanation of gender equality, especially from the 19th century where coed education started to take hold. Not just for the chattering classes either, at least not in Denmark.
I was recently reading an informal memoir by my great-uncle, whose parents were smallholder farmers. They met in the 1880s at Vallekilde Højskole, which must have been co-ed by then. Can’t think of anything similar elsewhere. Maybe in religious revival movements, but the “højskole” movement was secular.
Looking forward to Part 2!
Have you read Graeber/Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything? they date the emergence of patriarchy to about 5000 years ago, not 300,000.