I remember once being told (I assume accurately) that in
Anglo-Saxon England a woman could obtain a divorce from her husband simply by
standing in the middle of the village and stating her grounds publicly. And yet
in 19th century America,
women weren’t even allowed to speak in public. And when a woman in North Carolina filed for
divorce on the grounds that her husband had horsewhipped her, the Chief Justice
of the North Carolina Supreme Court denied the petition, saying "The law
gives the husband power to use such a degree of force necessary to make the
wife behave and know her place."
That’s 1,000 years of progress and a useful lesson in human
nature.
2 comments:
We've certainly made a lot of progress since the years of the Suffrage Movement, though regrettably a lot of problems remain. I admit I know little about how women's rights advanced in the UK, though I take it that the timeline is somewhat similar to ours. Sadly (for Americans) there are times when I think it is better to be a woman in the UK (or certain other European countries) than in the US.
How do I respond to this, me not being a woman an' all. I expect you're probably right. (It was you posting that Lady Gaga video that put me onto this, you know. It still makes my skin tingle.)
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