fChristin has 12 post(s)

Throughout the history of the world and present day there have been various instances of inequality that have occurred. Inequality is the unfair treatment of people on the bases of their race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, etc. There are many groups that have been subjected to discrimination; however, my essay will focus on the factors that contributed to the inequality of women. Writer Londa Schiebinger wrote an essay named Skeletons in the Closet which discusses the major role anatomical differences between white males and females played during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Schiebinger’s piece also examines how these physical differences affected both the social and political circumstances during these time periods.

During the eighteenth century many scientists developed a growing interest in the anatomical differences between white males and females. In her essay Schiebinger questions whether the sudden interest was in response to the movements for women’s equality at the time as a plot to discover inequalities between the sexes (Schiebinger, 1986). In the early eighteenth century one of the goals of the medical community was to learn more about the female anatomy as they believed it would be beneficial to their health care. However, as time went on the data gathered from this research was also used to discredit women. Scientists would then utilize the data to “prove” that women were incapable of being intellectual beings which aimed to prohibit them from participating in politics. The research also “proved” that the anatomy of women was constructed to fulfill a specific role in society which appointed women as child bearers capable of nurturing a family and nothing more. The study of the composition of white men and women influenced the attitudes of people which led many to believe that women were inferior to men and that they were capable of only one role in society.

In the nineteenth century the research that was conducted created an apparent division between both white men and women. The anatomy of white men was deemed to be superior over the anatomy of others. This belief resulted in women being pushed away from practices like the sciences which greatly affected midwives at the time as it was believed that their one true purpose was motherhood. Writer Schiebinger wanted to know why this project was important to the medical community. Her essay reveals that although there was an interest in the anatomy of women for a medical purpose there were other intentions. Scientists aimed to use their research as a way to not only minimize the capabilities of women but to also diminish the number of roles they could hold in a society. Although at the time science was male dominated and heavily influenced by male chauvinistic views of society its known reputation for being authentic made it effective in skewing attitudes. The main goal of scientists was to reveal that the distinctions in the anatomy were far too great. These dissimilarities portrayed men as strong and women as weak and even childlike. As women held movements to show they were equal to men the medical community tried to taint their claims by using science to sway public opinion and prolong their oppression.

Schiebinger, L. (1986). Skeletons in the Closet. 42-82.

I believe that Davis is trying to tell us that although many women attended the Seneca Convention to help raise awareness in the fight for women they focused on topics that led them to omit the awareness of both Mill girl and African American women struggles. During the course of the convention, there was much talk about the struggles of women in the Document Farmer class (Davis). However, it was never mentioned how many young Mill Girls were forced to work under terrible conditions for long hours (Davis). The Seneca Convention protesters also failed to mention the struggles many African American women faced as slaves who were not given the basic human rights they deserved (Davis). They failed to acknowledge all of the protesting and movements made by both Mill Girls and African American women done with the intent to gain their rights, be treated fairly in their workplace, and be seen as equal to men. As I read Davis’s piece, I felt that her tone of writing emitted annoyance as if she was unhappy that the protesters at the Seneca Convention wasted this important moment by forgetting about the women outside of their class.

Although the Seneca Convention shed light on the struggles of only one class of women and the consistent forgetfulness of many white women to include their fellow African American and Mill sisters; it sparked many other movements to erupt. Davis informs readers that after Seneca, many other conventions were held like the Negro Convention (Davis). At the Negro Convention, organizers put great emphasis on encouraging and inviting both black and white women to join (Davis). I believe that this was an attempt to get all women of different classes and races together as a way to speak of the injustices they all faced without neglecting to share anyone’s stories. I believe that Davis is trying to tell readers that the Seneca convention made those who were forgotten feel as if they needed to take matters into their own hand so they could insure that their struggles were also noticed.

Lastly, another outcome of the Seneca Convention was Sojourner Truth. A couple of years after Seneca, Sojourner Truth attended the Akron convention where she delivered powerful speeches about women being equal to men and subtlety criticizing racist women (Davis). Sojourner included everyone and fought for all women especially those who were African American (Davis). I strongly believe that Davis included Sojourner truth and all her success that she gained through her speeches because she wanted readers to know that more is achieved when you include everyone. I also believe that she was trying to slightly insult women protesters at the Seneca convention by basically saying a woman apart of a group you failed to acknowledge didn’t forget to include you and was more effective with her speeches than you were at your convention.

Chapter three of Davis’s Women’s, Race & Class discussed many conventions held or attended by Women (Davis). Davis tried to tell readers that the Seneca convention that was meant to fight for all women ended up being a fight for certain kinds of women. She emphasized the impact that the Convention had on the women that were excluded by telling us that it motivated them to get out and share their story and the stories of women different from them. A major lesson I feel Davis was trying to convey to her readers is that we achieve more and our voices are better heard when we include everyone and work together.

Davis, Angela Y. “Chapter 3: Class and Race in the early Women’s Rights Campaign.” Women,

Race & Class. N.p.: Random House Inc., 1981. 52-74. Print.