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Louise C asked in Social ScienceGender Studies · 1 decade ago

do people really believe that women in the past had no intelligence?

Someone on here recently answered a question about what modern women have to offer with the comment "If you want a woman who can't think for herself, go back to 1942". is this what people really think of women in the past? do they really believe that it didn't take intelligence to get through WW2? do they really believe that women in those days didn't have to think for themselves? Why?

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    It always surprises me when a feminist says something like that, because she's actually degrading and looking down on other women, which is what feminism is supposed to stand against.

    Women have always been thinking for themselves. They took over the men's jobs during WW2, and their work on the home front contributed towards winning the war. Even before 1942, there have been many successful and powerful women, including all those who were happy to stay at home.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Obviously,a person of extremely low intelligence.Possibly only possessing an "under functioning personality".Whose only grasp of history is of the previous ten minutes or so,possibly the previous meal even but,that would be stretching their capacity,for using anything,other than the reptile brain,to the limit.They are,I am sorry to admit,a source of amusement though.Thank you,for bringing this to the attention of other users of Yahoo answers.It may give them an insight,into exactly how the brain works in the mentally challenged and a damned good laugh too.

  • 1 decade ago

    Unfortunately, morons like that have always existed and likely will for some time. My guess is that those that believe that nonsense have never taken the time to study the work of Madam Curie, the acheivements of Boudica, or studied the Golden Age in England under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. What these fools fail to realize is that almost all work done by females was underrated and undervalued throughout history. For a woman and her acheivements to survive into the modern era, she had to be exceptional and make a lot of noise. They also fail to realize what kind of challenges a strong woman was forced to face everyday by the people around her, such as those that kept badgering Queen Elizabeth to marry or the disregard Boudica faced when standing up to the Roman army.

    My guess is that those that believe such nonsense as you mentioned haven't got any other way to make them feel like men, so they have to rag on women to get their kicks and self esteem boost.

    Sorry to rant. My opinion.

  • 1 decade ago

    I think it was a cultural belief in previous generations that women weren't intelligent so that led them to acting the part. Lack of self confidence back then and being constantly told to "ask a man" led to the belief propagate amongst women and men that those women weren't smart.

    As we advance as a World i think those ideas are fading, slowly in some regions but every step forward is a good one.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    no. women in the past had intelligence. they were often times denied an education but they were by no means unintelligent. women during WW2 rocked as far as i'm concerned. look at all they did when the men were at war.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    Here's what women are made to do:

    Clean

    Cook

    And Vagina

  • 1 decade ago

    I don't believe that. Men and women have always been intelligent but it depends completely on the individual.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    well my teacher who is a woman told us that a woman even if she knew an answer was taught to say let me ask my husband

    so women were smart they just weren't taught the same things as men women could read and do basic math but not as much as the men learned

  • 1 decade ago

    everyone can think for themselves but I've always wondered why men can excel with all the policies and departments that favour female and discrimintae against them. Why men can excel in female dominated environments, teaching etc. Why the best and famous hairdressers are male, while the best and famous chefs are male, why men made things like the spice girls and "chick films" why men can invent the tampon, birth control, vibrator etc. Or why other opressed groups e.g blacks, jews have males which excel

    while for feminists everything women dont do is because of sexism

  • 1 decade ago

    Of course women and men were intelligent in the past and some were not so bright in the past. Based on many of the comments in YA today-we still have our share of the not too bright today as well-we're not dealing with mental giants-especially not in YA GWS.

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