The Rhoynar had a huge impact on Dorne, which is why that is the most equal and liberal-minded part of Westeros, and almost zero impact outside of Dorne.
How does this makes sense? The areas bordering Dorne, the Stormlands and the Reach, should have been influenced by it somewhat at least. The existence of Dorne as an isolated social entity for thousands of years makes no sense. Especially when, as a political and economic entity, they are far from isolated from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.
As for the rest, the ironborn culture prizes martial skills above all else and pushes women into subservient roles, actually rather moreso than in real Norse cultures (where women often had more say in things, particularly in defending home and hearth when their husbands/fathers/brothers were away).
And why is this so? Doesn't that fact that the Ironborn culture is even more misogynistic than its supposed real world parallel, with no real in story explanation for the same (prizing martial skills doesn't quite cut it, since any number of cultures IRL have done so and still not dis-empowered women to the same extent), bother you?
The Faith seems to have some influence in keeping women in lesser roles: whilst septas exist and are respected, they cannot become High Septon and I don't recall them being able to serve on the high council (the Devout) either. The maesters also refuse to accept women into their ranks (hence the whole Alleras/Sarella deception in AFFC), which tends to limit the opportunities for women to gain specialist knowledge in Westeros.
And there is no explanation in the books for why these two organizations disfavor women to such an extent.
So I'd say the reasons for why women has less power than men in Westeros is the same as in the real medieval period - lack of eduction, lack of religious power and, with the confirmation of male-favouring inheritance (after the Dance of Dragons), little to no chance of a woman achieving political power and changing things. This may change when/if Daenerys takes the Iron Throne.
None of those were causes for the lack of female empowerment. They were consequences. Yes, the lack of women in positions of power in the Church had its trickle down effect, but the lack of female empowerment did not start there, just as it did not start with barring them from inheriting land, or preventing them from attending Universities. The reasons for the lack of female power were a lot more complex, and the author basically wants us to take "medieval=misogyny" as a reasonable explanation.
And this is precisely what a lot of people object to in a lot of gritty fantasies. The lack of female agency is taken as a default state, one that requires no more subtle an explanation than "Dark Age Parallel!". Its true of Martin, from the little I read, its true of Bakker, and definitely true of Goodkind, who has even less excuse than these others.
In our world, patriarchy and institutionalized sexism came about as <a href="http://anthropology.lbcc.edu/handoutsdocs/mistake.pdf">a result of the adoption of agriculture</a>. Sexism only increased when civilization increased and things like primogeniture and patrilineal succession came forth. Patrilineal succession guarantees sexism because it aims to control female sexuality in order to guarantee legitimate heirs. Real medieval societies put males above females in the line of the succession because of the belief that a feudal lord or king should be a military leader. As to why military leaders had to be men, that ties back into the rise of civilization itself.
Sometimes. entire economic systems are and always will guarantee institutionalized discrimination.
Violence, rape, and agency in the "gritty fantasies"
- 17/12/2011 01:36:54 PM
2114 Views
Martin, Goodkind...
- 18/12/2011 01:58:33 PM
1390 Views
On more of a "meta" level, what makes a fantasy story "gritty" in the first place?
- 19/12/2011 02:58:57 PM
1244 Views
There has to be something more, though.
- 19/12/2011 03:47:56 PM
1412 Views
Re: There has to be something more, though.
- 19/12/2011 05:29:30 PM
1294 Views
Re: There has to be something more, though.
- 19/12/2011 09:06:14 PM
1269 Views
My problem with aSoIaF...
- 20/12/2011 05:16:42 AM
1379 Views
The Rhoynish influence pretty much ends in Dorne.
- 20/12/2011 06:15:54 AM
1320 Views
And that makes sense?
- 20/12/2011 08:54:16 AM
1475 Views
Yes and no.
- 20/12/2011 03:10:54 PM
1463 Views
Re: Yes and no.
- 26/12/2011 03:12:01 AM
1246 Views
The power and influence of women in the Middle Ages was limited, but not non-existent.
- 26/12/2011 01:37:40 PM
1211 Views
Re: The power and influence of women in the Middle Ages was limited, but not non-existent.
- 29/12/2011 02:47:06 AM
1382 Views
Re: And that makes sense?
- 18/05/2012 01:42:52 AM
1370 Views
Re: There has to be something more, though.
- 20/12/2011 12:21:39 PM
1209 Views
Re: On more of a "meta" level, what makes a fantasy story "gritty" in the first place?
- 26/12/2011 01:15:35 AM
1312 Views