Where do women fit in?

I remember sitting in class while we were discussing one of the readings recently and all of the sudden becoming very discouraged with the lack of representation of women in the travel explorations of the past. Where are we? Why do we have to be the ones stuck back at home waiting for the men to return? There are very few examples of women having power or occupying space equal to or above men. There are obviously many societal expectations of women and a history of subjugation to patriarchal ideals that create an environment in which it is not acceptable for women to travel or to be considered as equals.

Tracing back through the readings, women occupy very minimal positions and don’t get a chance to partake in the glories of travel. In The Odyssey, there is Circe who does represent a powerful woman figure, but she is stuck on the island and has no influence on the world of the explorers except for her sexual exploitations. She is a very sexualized figure, which is an important way in which women can be empowered, but she is confined to this flirtatious ability and sorcerer magical powers and cannot assert herself in other meaningful ways.

Also, Ulysses had many relationships with women besides his wife who sat at home the whole time, faithfully waiting for him to return. His wife, Penelope, demonstrated her commitment to Ulysses while he had relationships with Circe and Calypso. In the first place, Penelope didn’t have the opportunity to go out and explore, and in the second place she gets cheated on several times. Ulysses knew that his wife and child remain at home waiting for his return. Penelope represents a very suppressed and submissive figure to a licentious Ulysses.

Marco Polo’s encounters with the Kublai Khan reiterated the discrimination women experienced in the domination of the male hierarchy. Polo seems to idolize Kublai Khan for his many achievements but also particularly for his abundance of women. The Kublai Khan has his pick to any woman he wants from the within the empire and can pluck them from wherever they are to gain them as property of his own. They become trophies or statues that can accompany him and fulfill his every desire as a man. He even builds a summerhouse in Xanadu where it is said he took women to spend significant time with.

Herodotus’ account of Egypt may the one of the only enlightening report giving recognition to women as independent and power beings. Herodotus even identifies the Egyptian customs as strange because he is not used to seeing women have the abilities that the Egyptian women do have. The women are the ones to go to the market while the men stay at home and weave. Also, the Egyptian rulers are female, granting rights to women that other ancient societies wouldn’t have dreamed to give to women.
There are no examples of women who traveled. This is probably the most discouraging part for me. They may have been able to obtain power in a few instances, but they were still stuck in their places of residence and never had the chance to venture out into the unknown world. Who knows what the encounters with the New World would have looked like if women had been allowed to join in on the journies?