Ideal womanhood

The concept of the "ideal woman"

The term is applied in the context of various times and cultures, for example:

• The "Four Women of Paradise" are considered ideal models of virtue in Islam. They are Khadijah, first wife of Muhammad; Fatima, daughter of Muhammad and Khadijah, and wife of Ali; Mary, mother of Jesus; and Asiya, wife of the Pharaoh and adoptive mother of Moses.
  • Some others often upheld as models of ideal womanhood include the matriarch Hagar, mother of Ishmael; Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba; and Eve.
  • For Sunni Muslims, Aisha is revered as a figure of particular importance. However, Aisha is generally viewed unfavourably by Shia Muslims.
• Sita as the ideal Hindu or Indian woman
• Penelope, wife of Odysseus in the Odyssey, described as the ideal woman of ancient Greek society, "the embodiment of chastity, generosity, cunning, and intelligence"
• The concept of the English rose, which refer to ideals of feminine beauty, manners, and temperament as they relate to concepts of Englishness or Britishness.
• Queen Victoria as the ideal Victorian era woman
• Proverbs 31 woman: "wife of noble character", as described in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, skilled in both household management and trade
• Mary, mother of Jesus as an ideal of both virgin and mother - a concept with some pervasiveness in Latin America (see Marianismo).
• the "ideal woman" stereotype of the 1950s, described by Betty Friedan in The Feminine Mystique as defined by "sexual passivity, male domination, and nurturing maternal love"
• The concept of the Yamato nadeshiko in pre-modern Japan.