The Seven Ages of Woman

        Am I the only one who was appalled by the image we saw Wednesday about the seven ages of woman from the nineteenth century? Upon reflection it showed that the only "good" time in a woman's life is when she has a baby. After that, she really has no contribution to society and becomes a pitiable human being by the end of her life. I am not unfamiliar with this type of artwork. In my great-grandmother's house hangs a picture on the wall that I remember looking at from a young age. It dates to the early 1900's and depicts the "best moments in a woman's life." This includes the first date, the proposal, the wedding, the honeymoon, a new love (baby), and that is all. I used to be fond of it until the last few years when I realized how sexist it is. Between the Middle Ages and the twentieth century, it seems that little changed regarding the role and expectation of women.
Wiesner-Hanks writes that "A woman was a virgin, wife, or widow, or, alternately, a daughter, wife, or mother" (WH 56).
       Below is a modern cartoon version similar to the artwork we have seen in class. It is from an online woman's magazine called "stylish eve" that I found by searching Google for "ages of woman." The picture is titled "The Life Cycle of Woman." I wanted to bring this picture to your attention to bring up the topic of how the life cycle of women has changed. By looking at this picture it would seem that (some people) in modern society still have traditional beliefs that relate back to the Middle Ages about the role(s) of women. I don't want to put a shadow over the progress women have seen in the last fifty years, but just a little reminder that these ideas aren't to far in the past and many people still believe that way today. One major difference we do see today is that more women than any other time in history are going to college which is delaying childbirth, often into the 30's. Women can have the best of both worlds, career and motherhood, if they choose.