roseembolism (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
roseembolism) wrote2012-12-28 09:38 pm
roseembolism) wrote2012-12-28 09:38 pm
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Under the Green Moon: Sex, Reproduction and Family, Part 1
I've been having a bit of trouble locking down this complicated and contentious issue, especially because reproduction is linked to the status of women. So if these thoughts seem random, it's because well, they still are, and I can use input, bearing in mind this is a "Hard Fantasy" setting.
Start with the fact that in real-world preindustrial families, children are important, both to take care of the parents in their old age, and to work the farm.Of course this was also combined with something like a 50% death rate of children, so large families, and lots of pregnancies were important. The nobles had a similar problem, in that heirs were needed, and younger siblings were surplus and spares. Add in the lack of contraceptives leading to the possibility of sex leading to pregnancy...which was itself potentially lethal. All this had an impact on the roles women could play in society. It should be noted that even in the real world this did not inexorably condemn women to the status of chattel. The Scythians for example had women warriors, and we have quite a few examples of societies where women were able to own property, operate businesses, and divorces.
So let's throw 30,000 years, remnants of advanced technology, and magic into the mix. For a start, there are natural contraceptives/abortifacients secreted by the fruit of bioengineered plants. There would also be remembered scraps of medical knowledge in the form of folklore (starting with basic hygiene). Finally, one branch of magic (which in this setting resembles uprated psi powers) is devoted to healing and curing disease.
The upshot would be to lower the mortality rate of pregnancies and children tremendously, meaning families, at least in city areas could be much smaller while still having a fairly decent population growth.
So...the results of this? It's hard to give a definitive answer, since there's a diversity of cultures in Under the Green Moon. I can see generally a more relaxed attitude toward sex, and a more egalitarian status of women, particularly in the more sophisticated, urban areas of the Empires. Rural farming areas may have more "traditional" attitudes, given the still present need for large families. Nomadic and tribal cultures may switch that around again and have more egalitarian attitudes, since again there isn't such a need for large amounts of children.
Magic in general has an effect on the roles of women in the heavily magic-using empires, since there is no gender bias in the people who possess it. The military mage units could easily be 50/50 male/female, since the possession of the right talents would govern demand more than gender considerations. Beyond that, all the mercantile and crafting needs would put a high demand on anyone with the right ability, male or female.
What would the effect be of the three largest empires in the world having relative sexual equality? There's a tendency for cultural elements to leak across borders, so would surrounding nations emulate the empires? Or would there be a traditionalist backlash against the "decadent" empires? I can see both happening in various times and places.
Thoughts?
Start with the fact that in real-world preindustrial families, children are important, both to take care of the parents in their old age, and to work the farm.Of course this was also combined with something like a 50% death rate of children, so large families, and lots of pregnancies were important. The nobles had a similar problem, in that heirs were needed, and younger siblings were surplus and spares. Add in the lack of contraceptives leading to the possibility of sex leading to pregnancy...which was itself potentially lethal. All this had an impact on the roles women could play in society. It should be noted that even in the real world this did not inexorably condemn women to the status of chattel. The Scythians for example had women warriors, and we have quite a few examples of societies where women were able to own property, operate businesses, and divorces.
So let's throw 30,000 years, remnants of advanced technology, and magic into the mix. For a start, there are natural contraceptives/abortifacients secreted by the fruit of bioengineered plants. There would also be remembered scraps of medical knowledge in the form of folklore (starting with basic hygiene). Finally, one branch of magic (which in this setting resembles uprated psi powers) is devoted to healing and curing disease.
The upshot would be to lower the mortality rate of pregnancies and children tremendously, meaning families, at least in city areas could be much smaller while still having a fairly decent population growth.
So...the results of this? It's hard to give a definitive answer, since there's a diversity of cultures in Under the Green Moon. I can see generally a more relaxed attitude toward sex, and a more egalitarian status of women, particularly in the more sophisticated, urban areas of the Empires. Rural farming areas may have more "traditional" attitudes, given the still present need for large families. Nomadic and tribal cultures may switch that around again and have more egalitarian attitudes, since again there isn't such a need for large amounts of children.
Magic in general has an effect on the roles of women in the heavily magic-using empires, since there is no gender bias in the people who possess it. The military mage units could easily be 50/50 male/female, since the possession of the right talents would govern demand more than gender considerations. Beyond that, all the mercantile and crafting needs would put a high demand on anyone with the right ability, male or female.
What would the effect be of the three largest empires in the world having relative sexual equality? There's a tendency for cultural elements to leak across borders, so would surrounding nations emulate the empires? Or would there be a traditionalist backlash against the "decadent" empires? I can see both happening in various times and places.
Thoughts?