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there is the idea of Yin and Yang. Yin is earth, female, dark, passive
and absorbing, while yang is heaven, male, light, active and
penetrating: the active male and passive female. More recently,
studies have shown that the division is not so clear and that most
people contain a balance of "male" and "female" characteristics.
It is the biological difference, however, which has always
meant that men had one part to play and women another. In the
earliest human groups or tribes, the work was divided in a simple
way. Women stayed at home having children and growing fruit,
vegetables and crops to feed the family. Men went away from home
to hunt animals which would provide more food. The partnership was
equal and women and were respected for the part they played.
Since that time, the status of women has gone through many
changes, sometimes being very high and other times low. But the role
of women has not changed. Today, as much as any other time, most
women are expected to make their lives around the home. The
woman is the centrepoint of the family and provides the link between
children and father, whilst the man represents the family outside the
home in society.
But there have always been rebels - those who refused to accept
their role and were determined to pursue another course. Hypatia was
a respected teacher at the University of Alexandria in the fourth
century BC and the renowned Frenchwoman Joan of Arc, defied
convention by dressing as a man and leading soldiers into a
successful battle against the English in 1429. Literature is an area in
which women, like the Bronte sisters, have done well. Charlotte,
Emily and Anne lived all their lives in the family home in Yorkshire,
but, between them, they produced three of the classic novels of the
English language - Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall. The world of acience is one which women have found
hard to penetrate, but the Polish-born Marie Curie managed it. Her
research into radioactivity and the discovery of radium was the
beginning of nuclear science. All these women made sacrifices, often
for the benefit of their families rather than themselves. Clara
Schulmann, wife of the composer Robert, gave up a brilliant career as
a pianist and composer to support her husband in his work and look
after their numerous children.
It is said that behind every powerful man there is a powerful
woman, but very few women have gained power in their own right.

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