ABSTRACT
Between the advent of agriculture, and then more complex societies or civilizations, and the end of the postclassical period in the 15th century, two patterns stand out where gender is concerned. The first is the pervasiveness of basically patriarchal systems, in culture, in politics and law, and in economic relationships. The second, however, is the variety of specific forms that patriarchy could take, whether the focus was personal habits and family arrangements, or more formal definitions in areas like property rights or religious observance. Complexity was encouraged by the fact that many agricultural societies developed in proximity to groups that operated on a somewhat different basis, for example, in nomadic economies. The great missionary religions often played a role that ran counter to the ideas they had generated concerning spiritual equality, for example, when they led to new restrictions of women’s freedom of movement as in the spread of the system of purdah.
