Abstract:
Throughout history, the common role of a woman has been that of housewife and mother. Confined to the domestic sphere by cultural norms and sexist rhetoric, the women of the past were faced with few opportunities beyond raising and caring for a family. Though today women in the United States are allowed more freedoms than their historical counterparts, many women are still expected to marry, become mothers, and take up the traditional role of primary caregiver to their children. In a creative look at the life of a woman in the Biblical Middle East, I explore the similarities between the struggles faced by women millennia ago and the challenges women still face today. Through Haibaa's eyes I examine the woman's role in history, the prevalence of gender norms, and traditions rooted in misogynistic thinking that are just now beginning to fade.
