Social studies quest.: Whats the difference between women in our society and women in ancient egypt -pharaohs?

Question

Social studies quest.: Whats the difference between women in our society and women in ancient egypt -pharaohs?

Answer 1

Well, they lived in a society in which life was very much more hazardous than it is now, infectious diseases could carry you off at any time, and childbirth was a dangerous business, many women died in childbirth, and many ifants died too.

There were no labour-saving devices, so washing would be done by hand for instance, and so would the grinding of grain to make bread, and the spinning and weaving of cloth to make the family's clothing would also be done by hand.  

Many women worked as servants, and as dancers and musicians.  Weaving and wig-making were two other occupations that were often done by women.  Midwives were very important people in the community, and women were also professional mourners at funerals.  Women also served as priestesses in the temples.

Probably few Egyptain women would have been literate, as literacy was mainly confined to the scribes, who were men.  There are letters addressed to women and from women, but they may not have been written by the women themselves, but by scribes.  

Women had equal legal rights with men when it came to inheriting and owning property, making wills etc, all of which they could do independent of men, unlike ancient Greece for example, where women always had to have a male guardian. Women could enter into their own economic transactions, for instance a woman at Deir-el-Medina was paid 29 deben of copper, for some clothes, which she perhaps had woven herself.  In another business deal a woman purchased items worth 76 deben.  In another case a woman was able to offer a plot of land to pay for a donkey.  

It was permissible for Egyptain men to have more than one wife, though only the wealthy would have been able to afford to do so.  it seems that either partner in a marriage could initate a divorce.  if a wife was divorced her dowry would normally be returned to her, unless she was divorced for adultery, in which case it seems she lost the dowry.

Answer 2

In today's society it is frowned upon to marry ones brother, uncle, cousin etc.  In ancient Egypt incest was considered the best policy in order to ensure pure bloodlines.

Answer 3

society ladies in our society socialize and enjoy their life; where as women in ancient egypt -pharaohs lived in harems and enjoyed their life

Answer 4

I think you need to clarify your question a little more.

Do you mean the difference between modern women and ancient female pharaohs like Hatshepsut? Or the difference between modern women and women in ancient Egypt at the time of the pharaohs (a period which was thousands of years long)?

Edit: BuyTheWay: most Egyptian pharaohs were strictly monogamous and did not keep "harems" (which were a Turkish cultural phenomenon from a much later period than the time of the pharaohs).

Answer 5

we have showers, lotions, deoderants, epidurals, and air conditioning to make us smell better and be happier. :-)