- Finding sources about women and gender in history.

Gerda Lerner | Apr 1, 1988

Women's history has made vast advances in the past twenty years. Where we are going with these
advances, however, is less certain and where we should be going is something we might do well to
consider, even if we have no expectation that we can agree on one goal.

We can agree, to begin with, that traditional history obscured, neglected, and distorted the historical
record and experience of half the world's population. Since the existence of academic professional
history, which is not even 200 years old, this distortion and omission has become institutionalized.
Consequently, it has become more difficult to dislodge or to correct the distortions than it was earlier,
when next to official history there existed a live and active oral tradition.

The interpretations of primary and secondary literature, which we call history, must always rest on a
solid basis of monographic studies. Academic historians in the United States have for over 100 years
provided this basis for the history of men and male activities. Historians concerned with documenting
and interpreting the history of women have worked for only the last twenty years to try and lay the
documentary and interpretive foundation upon which later historiography can build. We must recognize
at the outset that we have barely begun our work.

The exclusion of women in historical narratives

The traditional history omitted and neglected the experiences of many to record the most significant
events and notable achievements. These events are characterized by war, politics, diplomacy, and
governance which were dominated by men(Lerner, 1988). With the historical writing being
monopolized by male historians and men’s activities, women were usually excluded from historical
narratives. Whenever women were included in the written record, they were presented in their
stereotypical roles of being wives, mothers, daughters, and mistresses(Lerner, 1988).

Women have different experiences in their expressions, work, opportunities, and activities. Though
the history of notable women was written, it stills does not provide the contribution and importance
of the women’s activities to society. Aside from their historical experiences as a social group, women
of different status, class, age, and education also have different duties, life experiences, and
grievances (Lerner, 1975). The representation of women in a male-dominated society began to be
recorded and written in the late 19th century when women were able to attain higher education in
college (Vann, 1998).

The
The Filipino women's experiences and the roles they played in
different historical conjunctures reflected the character of the
times and determined the nature of their struggle. The women's
movement in the Philippines has achieved numerous gains in terms of
economic, political, and social equality. Nevertheless, a lot of
things remain to be done like inequality in political representation
and economic opportunities, and aggression and violence brought by
the specter of patriarchy that persists up to the present
istorical writing had been essentially monopolized by all-male universities and research
institutes

women’s history would have been inconceivable, because “history” was so closely identified with war,
diplomacy, and high politics—from all of which women were virtually excluded

History was written mainly by men and about men's activities in the public sphere, especially in Africa
—war, politics, diplomacy and administration. Women are usually excluded and, when mentioned,
are usually portrayed in sex stereotypical roles such as wives, mothers, daughters, and mistresses.
The study of history is value-laden in regard to what is considered historically "worthy."[1] Other
aspects of this area of study are the differences in women's lives caused by race, economic status,
social status, and various other aspects of society.[2]

tell

The historical exclusion and the lack of accessible resources are the challenges in navigating the
history of women. Traditional history omitted and neglected the experiences of many to record the
most significant events and notable achievements. These events are characterized by war, politics,
diplomacy, and governance which were dominated by men. With the historical writing being
monopolized by male historians and men’s activities, women were usually excluded from historical
narratives. Whenever women were included in the written record, they were presented in their
stereotypical roles of being wives, mothers, daughters, and mistresses(Lerner 1988, 17).

Women have different experiences in their expressions, work, opportunities, and activities. Though
the history of notable women was written, it stills does not provide the contribution and importance
of the women’s activities to society. Aside from their historical experiences as a social group, women
of different status, class, age, and education also have different duties, life experiences, and
grievances (Lerner 1975, 5). The representation of women in a male-dominated society began to be
recorded and written in the late 19th century when women were able to attain higher education in
college . The earliest work of women’s history has been the contribution history. The contribution
history focuses on the documentation and interpretation of primary and secondary sources that
illustrate the contributions, struggles, and experiences of women in a male-dominated society. It
explores the status and rights of women as a social group in contrast with men and their contributions
to historically significant movements in human history (Lerner, 1975, 6-7).

compare to the sheer volume of the traditional history, the growth of archival and library collections
in women’s history is relatively small . However, there are progress in making primary records
accessible to the public (Lerner 1988, 17). One of the online archives of women’s history is the
Women in World History which was created by the Center for History
and New Media. It provides primary sources on women in different
cultural settings. The development of public and online archives such
as Women in World History is important in introducing women’s
history to wider audience.

 orld history teachers face many challenges to incorporating primary sources in their teaching—pressures of
coverage in survey courses, lack of available materials, and inadequate training in dealing with unfamiliar sources.
These issues are especially challenging for teaching the history of women in the world. Women in World History
responds by creating an online curriculum resource center to help high-school and college world history teachers and
their students locate, analyze, and learn from primary sources dealing with women and gender in world history.
These materials will encourage teachers to integrate the latest scholarship in women’s history and world history, as
well as engaging primary sources, into their courses. Students will develop a more sophisticated framework for
understanding the nature of historical inquiry.
Women in World History reflects three approaches central to current scholarship in world history and the history of
women: an emphasis on comparative issues rather than civilizations in isolation; a focus on contacts among different
societies; and an attentiveness to “global” forces, such as technology diffusion, migration, or trade routes, that
transcend individual societies. Project materials also utilize recent advances in our understanding of how historical
learning takes place, including complex interaction with sources, recursive reading, and skills used by historians.

The development of archival and library collection is important in

providing resources that showcase the women’s history in different
cultural settings.

Microfilmed collections of older books, pamphlets, and periodicals, 8

as well as on-line computer access to new publications in women's
history,9 add to the reservoir of sources available for future
research in women's history. Published collections of documents,
especially those by little-known women, 10 as well as carefully-
edited bibliographical studies, 11 help to provide access to women's
impressively varied pasts in many cultural settings. Similar
collections of source materials should be encouraged and funding
found for such enterprises in xxvi Introduction other countries as
well as for the development of new types of sources, such as oral
histories, for more recent times

The above survey of conditions raises the issue of the difficulties -

and also the necessity - of sustaining a vision of women's history's
importance in the face of institutional exclusion (or resistance) and
complex political logistics. To those who argue that women's history
is just another narrow specialty, we must reply that we are talking
about the rich and varied past of over half the human race.
Paradoxically, it has sometimes been precisely these difficulties -
and this felt necessity - that have stimulated creative grass-roots
initiatives for bringing women's history to a broader audience beyond
the universities. Women's historians, like all other historians, are
inescapably dependent on their sources. Thus, a development of
particular significance is the growth of archival and library
collections in women's history in a variety of countries

Lerner, G. (1988). Priorities and challenges in women's history research. Perspectives, 26(4), 17.

Richard T. Vann
Professor of History and Letters, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut; Senior Editor, History and Theory.
Author of The Social Development of English Quakerism, 1655–1755 and others.

Vann, R. T.. "Historiography." Encyclopedia Britannica, October 27, 2020.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/historiography.

Lerner, Gerda. Placing women in history: Definitions and challenges. KG Saur, 2012.

Lerner, Gerda. "Placing Women in History: Definitions and Challenges." Feminist Studies 3, no. 1/2
(1975): 5-14. Accessed June 13, 2021. doi:10.2307/3518951.
Lerner, Gerda. 1975. Placing Women in History: Definitions and Challenges. Feminist Studies 3, bil.
1/2: 5-14

Lerner, Gerda. 1988. Priorities and challenges in women's history research. Perspectives 26, bil. 4: 17