Activity Suggestions

. Analyzing the Sources
1) Students are assigned the primary sources- one per student or per small group. For each source, they identity its main issues and goals. They seek to answer:
What are the main issues? (What areas of discrimination against women did the reading focus on?)
What are some of the obstacles the reading indicates as needing to be overcome? (What beliefs about women resulted in the requirement that in marriage she was to become the legal responsibility of the husband?)
What specific arguments or actions did women and men use in confronting and trying to overcome the obstacles?
2) Students then present a summary the reading (who, what and where), and their analysis to the whole class. They might read portions of the piece aloud.
3) Class discusses 1) possible commonalities or differences between the sources, 2) how the issues the sources focused on might relate to the larger issue of women’s rights in general, 3) if any of the issues raised have any relevance to ones facing women in their community today.
II. Identifying the Obstacles
Students list obstacles to improving women’s rights within marriage. They then prioritize the list according to what they determine were most debilitating. They might discuss any changes which they feel resulted in disadvantages to men.
III. Role Playing the Personalities
Students fill the roles of some of the central characters in the readings. They might pick a selection from the reading as part of their dramatic readings, They should consider the possible personality of the person and some descriptive words they might have used.
Role Examples:
To represent the “traditional” place of women within marriage: the ideas of William Blackstone, Napoleon, Chinese peasants resisting the 1950 Marriage Code, a Kenyan male defending customary practices.
To argue for change: Leigh Smith Bodichon. Ernestine Rose, Henry Blackwell, Li Kuei-Ying, any one of the widows from Kenya.