While some countries today have advanced towards women’s equality, it is still something that many countries still in the modern world today do not practice. It wasn’t until 1893 when New Zealand became the first country to allow women to vote. This prompted slowly, but progressively an advancement towards rights for women; with countries like the United States granting women the right to vote later on in 1920. Unlike some countries today and pre 1893 worldwide practices, women played an essential role in the lives of the Native Americans.
According to historian Ellen Holmes Pearson “In 1644, the Rev. John Megalopensis, minister at a Dutch Church in New Netherlands, complained that Native American women were “obliged to prepare the Land, to mow, to plant, and do every Thing; the Men do
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Unlike women in the 30’s who were socially criticized for taking men’s job opportunities, even though they were not being paid equally. In some clans like Hopi women seemed to have dominant power, compared to the Nez Perce whose men made up the governing bodies of villages; however, the women consistently participate in politics but did not hold office. Despite what gender you were in these various different clans, it appears that women are respected for their contributions to their communities. Women were not solely expected to be subordinate to men. According to historian Ellen Holmes Pearson “Most scholars agree that Native American women at the time of contact with Europeans had more authority and autonomy than did European women.” The Native American women most likely had more authority and autonomy than women all over the world at the time, and no one came close until the transition by New Zealand in 1893. Women had a grave impact to their societies, and their selves as beings were recognized as being essential to their