The document outlines the evolving history of women's rights from 1500 BC to the present, highlighting cultural variations in women's freedoms across different eras. Key figures and milestones include Hatshepsut's reign in ancient Egypt, women’s roles in Ancient Greece and Rome, the advocacy of Mary Wollstonecraft in the 18th century, and the suffrage movement led by Emmeline Pankhurst in the 19th century. It concludes with a recognition of modern achievements by female athletes and the slow but ongoing change in societal attitudes towards women.

1. Throughout
It Is Transforming…
History of
Women

2. 1500 BC
In the past women’s rights varied
from culture to culture. In
Ancient Egypt women had a great
deal of freedom and enjoyed
many rights. They could own
property and sign contracts. They
could even rule the land,. A
famous woman Pharaoh called
Hatshepsut once ruled Egypt.

3. 250 BC
In ancient Greece goddesses were worshipped but
women played only a little part in public life. They
were confined to their houses. Marriages were
arranged and the age difference between their
spouse was very much.
In rich families women were expected to run the
home, sometimes manage finances. Rich women
stayed indoors and sent their slaves for the
shopping. Poor used to help their husbands in the
farm work. Their only recreational activity was to
spin and weave clothes.

4. 1st
Century
Celtic women had a good deal of
freedom and many more rights. Celtic
women could rule in their own right.
One famous woman of the ancient world
was Bouddica. She was a queen of the
Iceni, a Celtic tribe who lived in Britain.
She led a rebellion against the Romans.

5. 1348
In the Middle Ages it was not unusual for middle
class women to run their own businesses. In England
the mystic Margery Kempe ran a brewery and later a
horse mill to grind corn. Women married to
craftsmen usually learned their husband’s trade and
carried it on if their husband died.

6. In the 16th
century women were
martyred for their religious beliefs and
were called witches. They refused to
compromise even when they were
tortured.

7. In the 17th
century the
professions(teaching, practicing
law, doctor etc.) were closed for
women. Women were allowed to
choose jobs like tailoring, milling,
drying, embroidery and
shoemaking. They worked in food
industry as brewers, bakers or
confectioners. The most common
was being domestic servant.

8. During the 1700’s boarding schools
for girls were founded in many
towns. In them girls were taught
subjects like writing, music and
needlework. It was considered
more important for girls to learn
these skills than to study subjects.
1700

9. 1792
Mary Wollstonecraft was an
English writer, philosopher and
advocate of women’s rights. She
wrote a very important book ‘A
Vindications of the Rights of
Women’. In the book she argues
that women are not naturally
inferior to men but appear so
only because they lacked
education.

10. Mary Shelley was a famous writer.
She wrote one of the most famous
books in modern literature:
’Frankenstein’. She had to publish
the book anonymously because
there was a lot of prejudice against
women writers at this time.
1818

11. 1847: The Bronte Sisters
Charlotte, Emily & Anne Bronte were
famous English writers from the 19th
Century. Between them they wrote some
of the most celebrated novels in the
history of literature. Charlotte wrote ‘Jane
Eyre’, Emily wrote ‘Wuthering Heights’
and Anne wrote ‘The Tenant of Wildfell
Hall’. At the time they published under
male pseudonyms.

12. 1869
Philosopher John Stuart Mill published his book
’The Subjection of Women’, which demanded
equal rights for women. He worked closely with
his step daughter Helen Taylor who was a well
known writer and feminist at the time. Even
Queen Victoria criticized the book and called it
wicked.

13. In 1874 the first successful typewriter
went on sale and telephone in 1876.
In the late 19th
century everything a
married woman had was, legally her
husband’s property. Acts were then
passed that a woman’s earnings
belonged to her and allowed women to
own, buy and sell property.

14. In 1893 New Zealand
became the first country in
the world to allow women
to vote in elections.
Australian women are
allowed to stand for
election in 1902.
However there were
restrictions for women
until 1962.
1893
1902

15. Emmeline Pankhurst
formed the militant
Women’s social and
Political Union in Britain
which was dedicated to
achieving universal
suffrage for women. In the same year Marie
Curie won the Nobel Prize
for Physics. She won it
again for Chemistry in
1911.
1903
1911

16. 1932

17. 1960

19. 1997

20. 2015
2012

21. 2016
Now the line ’Save the Girl Child ’ is
being changed to, ‘Saved by the Girl
Child.’
India’s P.V. Sindhu, Shakshi
Malik and Dipa Karmakar
makes the whole country
proud with their glory in Rio
Olympics.

22. World Demographics is Changing…
Process is slow but is in motion…

23. Thanks…