Outline for Topic Proposal of Final Paper

Proposal:

For the final term paper I plan to write a comparison of the rights of women now versus medieval times. While doing some extra reading for another class, I have found some similarities that I would like to research further. There are also some differences, mainly in the political capacity, that I would also like to read more about. I plan to address the main aspects of everyday life; role of heir, role in the political world, and women roles in the household. A topic that I am considering addressing is birth control. I have found some information in my readings that suggests that until recently, women of the medieval ages had more control. However, I would like to further investigate before committing this topic to my paper. I have yet to fully develop a thesis sentence for the paper. I have not found a suitable way to put my thoughts into words.

Working Title:

The Rights of Women: How Far Have We Really Come?

Outline:

I. Introduction

Thesis Statement

II. Political Roles

Offices and power women could hold.

The ability for there to be Queens, and yet the US has yet to have a woman President and the standards that allowed for this phenomena.

III. Role of Heir

Inheritance rights: How they differ

They ability to inherit land and money that a woman could not acquire other wise during the medieval ages in comparison to things of today, such as single mothers and women controlling family finances.

IV. Role in the household

Women in the workforce versus stay at home moms: comparisons for both time periods.

V. Conclusion

Restatement of Thesis

Comparison results

Potential Sources:

This is a preliminary list of books I am currently looking at. I am trying to find some recent books to gather current research for the comparison. For the most part, the information I am finding in Boulding and Sullerot seems to be true for the present, even if it is twenty years old.

Boulding, Elise. Women in the Twentieth Century World. New York: SAGE Publications, 1977.

Erler, Mary and Kowaleski, Maryanne. Women and Power in the Middle Ages. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1988.

Mitchell, Linda. Women in Medieval Western European Culture. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1999.

Sullerot, Evelyne. Woman, Society, and Change. New York: World University Library, 1971.