Gender Issues and Relations between Man and Women in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian society is one of the unique communities in relation to gender issues. A critical examination of the relationship between men and women in this ancient Egypt reveals that the women were far ahead of time when compared to other communities. Some of the aspects of the gender-related issues that made women in ancient Egypt outstanding include their participation in leadership positions and possession of similar basic human rights as men. The Egyptian women could as pharaohs, something that was not common in other African states. Unlike other African empires and kingdoms where women were inferior and did not participate in significant decision making, ancient Egypt had rights for women as men. not only rule the country but also had many of the same fundamental human rights as men. The paper examines the ancient Egyptian community regarding gender issues and the relationship between men and women.

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Ancient Egypt held on to the concept of balance, equality, and harmony for all in the community. The concept is evident through the ma'at that served as the central values. The history of ancient Egyptians indicates that there was a striking balance in gender roles as well as other practices. Therefore, the women in the community were equal to men in various ways. It was quite common for women to hold the senior offices, including the position of pharaohs who were the intermediary between gods and men. Hatshepsut, who was an Egyptian pharaoh starting 1500 BCE, served as the first woman ruler in that rank (Bob 79). Amongst her achievements are the building of the temples and other essential public places. After her rule, several other women ruled Egypt during ancient times, including Cleopatra II and Nefertiti (Bob 79). According to the ancient Egyptian traditions, pharaohs were gods and could not intermarry with immortal humans. Thus, they could only marry from the royal family. As such, Hatshepsut got married to her half brother. However, this form of marriage was available in the ruling classes and did not apply to other common families and communities.

Despite being equal to men in many different aspects, women in ancient Egypt held unique occupational positions. According to Bob, men in the ancient Egyptian communities had the special duties of fighting in the army, running the affairs of the government, and served as managers in communal farms. Women, on the other hand, cooked for the families, were professional sewers and helped their husbands in the management of the house (89). Therefore, gender in ancient Egypt dictated that men served in positions of authority and were mainly kings, governors, army generals, and heads of the family and household. Nonetheless, women had considerable power and freedom within the patriarchy. While men managed the family's properties, women in ancient Egypt could administer their individual properties and could as well dispose them off as they wished. Additionally, the women were eligible to participate in any legal contracts (Roth 87). They could also sell or buy commodities when they needed to make investments. Other essential areas that women would participate in Egypt communities include being executors in wills and vital witnesses in establishing a legal document. Aspects such as male supervision, as evident in the ancient Greek practices, were not available in ancient Egypt (Onstine 10).

Women were a part of the clergy in ancient Egypt. Such women enjoyed living in respected and comfortable environments. However, to become a priest or clergy, women had to dedicate their time to years of studies as scribe for them to become either teachers or physicians. Therefore, both men and women had the could become doctors in ancient Egypt. While becoming a scribe was open to both men and women, it was a tedious and hard process. As a result, not many people, particularly women, chose to pursue the course. Additionally, those who became scribes were close families of former scribes as children would follow in the footsteps of their parents. Since many women could not follow the priesthood path, they ended up serving as regular employees primarily as basket weavers, bakers, and brewers, waitresses, "Mistress of the House," or as cooks, among other occupations (Roth 85-90).

Besides the social customs, theological and cosmological aspects played a pivotal role in distinguishing gender issues in ancient Egypt. The portrayal of gods and supreme deities in the Egyptian cultures demonstrated both male and female characteristics. Additionally, these gods shared equally important duties and expertise. According to Onstine, women were central to the ancient Egyptian religion as feminine portrayed fertility and spiritual birth (8-10). Therefore, gender language and visual metaphors served as a way of expressing creating and religious rebirth. Males in ancient Egypt dominated the hierarchical arrangement of religion. However, the females in the community had a distinctive way of negotiating this arrangement. Thus, both men and women had different gender roles in religion as it was with societal design. It is worth noting that women, in some cases, were excluded from the temples as they served as administration units on top of being religious edifice (Horning 60). Nonetheless, women had meaningful participation in religion, including the provision of religious pieces of music. They constituted a significant portion of the symbols and portraits found in the places of worship.

In a familial setup, the women in ancient Egypt were eligible to marry those they wanted or loved. Moreover, they could also divorce the husbands they no longer loved or felt that the marriage did not suit them. Men also had similar rights when it comes to the marriage institution. Unlike many African cultures that emphasized wife and property inheritance, an Egyptian woman was a free woman upon the death of her husband. Therefore, the ancient Egyptian cultures and creation mythologies emphasized on the values and principles of the feminine (Horning 85). In the case of the death of a husband, the widow had the right to keep her home, properties, and children and run it as per her wishes. The gender equality demonstrated in the ancient Egyptian ways of life is astounding and remarkable as the divorced, or widowed women could make important decisions affecting their lives independently (Horning 90).

In conclusion, gender issues were central in ancient Egypt, as demonstrated through the social, political, economic, and religious perspectives. Socially, women in ancient Egypt had equal rights and freedoms as men. Both men and women could make major decisions regarding their lives and those of their families. They also had equal rights in terms of education and getting into legally-binding agreements. On the political framework, both men and women had equal opportunities to become rulers. There were both male and female pharaohs who had ruled Egypt in ancient times. However, much of the administration posts entailed male domination. Most women became rulers by virtue of being born in the royal families or through marriages to the kings. Economically, gender roles were distinctive as women mainly performed household chores and concentrated on weaving, cooking, and servants in the royal homes, while men were warriors, administrators, and managers. However, both men and women shared some of these roles interchangeably. Egyptian women in ancient times also had a special place in religion despite it being male-dominated.

Works Cited

Bob, Brier, and Hoyt, Hobbs. "Ancient Egypt: Everyday Life in the Land of the Nile" Sterling, (2013): 75-90

Horning, Nicole. Ancient Egypt: The Land of Pyramids and Pharaohs. Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2017.

Onstine, Suzanne. "Gender and the Religion of Ancient Egypt." Religion Compass 4.1 (2010): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2009.00178.xRoth, Ann Macy. "Gender Roles in Ancient Egypt." A Companion to the Ancient Near East (2020): 85-96. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119362500.ch5