2020 Transformative Learning Conference

An introduction to the roots of TL learning theory and contemporary conceptualizations of TL

Women’s roles have changed throughout history, and Simone de Beauvoir attempted to encapsulate that change within the history section of her book, The Second Sex. Many others have written at length about specific eras that de Beauvoir covered. In seeking to provide a concise overview of women’s history from Antiquity to de Beauvoir’s own era, a comparison of multiple sources yields insight at changes, setbacks, and an outlook for the trends of the future.
One might well ask whether or not the future the suffragette and the many women who came before them struggled for has come to fruition since de Beauvoir’s time. Evaluation of source materials creates the perception that perhaps it is better simply to view the past as proof of improvement. Compared to the women of Antiquity, it could be argued that some of the greater inequalities of that era have been rectified. Queens of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period might look at the successes of women throughout the ages with antipathy; their statuses sometimes elevated them above their sex within their own times. Still, for the working women of all eras, the battles won in the Late Modern Period may be viewed as great achievements, yet many still see work to be done before the war is over. For the women of Europe, today may be a brighter day in comparison to the past, but one should hope that the brightest are still to come for them tomorrow.