The most successful pirate in history was a woman. Ching Shih (which means Ching’s widow), also known as Cheng I Sao or Zheng Yi Sao, is arguably the greatest pirate of all time. When she married Ching in 1801, he was the commander of a fearsome group of pirate ships known as the Red Fleet. Ching Shih was known for her business savvy and intelligence and a condition of the marriage was that they would share control of the fleet, which continued to grow and flourish under their joint command. After Ching’s death, she continued to build and solidify the Red Fleet and her legacy far eclipsed that of her husband. “Following his death, she succeeded him and commanded over 1,800 pirate ships, and an estimated 80,000 men. In comparison, the famed Blackbeard commanded four ships and 300 pirates.”
Then there's Hatshepsut, the first woman ruler of Egypt and later Cleopatra. "Taking the throne at just 18 years old, Cleopatra ruled alongside her siblings before taking on a co-rule with her son, Ptolemy XV Caesar. But Cleopatra maintained the dominating political power in all of her co-regencies, and she wielded it well. No other woman of her time influenced the incendiary politics of the Roman Empire as she did. As she forged strong bonds with Roman rulers—such as Caesar and Antony—she provided them with resources and funds for their ambitions. And it was her standing as one of Octavian's (later known as Roman emperor Augustus) greatest enemies that would have her role in history reduced to that of an immoral temptress."
What about Theodora? "Theodora was not just an Empress of the Byzantine Empire, but a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a highly trusted advisor to her husband, Emperor Justinian I, she would often use his power and influence to accomplish her own goals and visions. Though she was never technically considered a co-regent, Theodora was regularly consulted by her husband on legislative matters and had a direct hand in state affairs."
Catherine the Great of Russia overthrew her husband's rule and reigned for 35 years, transforming Russia into a more modern, more important nation. Trade and communication expanded under her rule.
How about Queen Elizabeth I? Queen Victoria? Tamar the Great? And those are just a small sampling of monarchs - there are many, many more. I don’t have time to educate you on all of them, but here’s a link to get you started on just important, powerful queens of Africa.
There are literally thousands of important inventions and discoveries that have been made by women - even when they weren't allowed higher education, even when they were considered the literal property of their husbands. A woman invented computer programming - in 1843.
You don't actually know much history, do you?
And no, patriarchy doesn't just mean men are in charge. It's a particular type of social system with many other facets and features.
Don’t tell me how “Men built the world” when for most of the past 5k years women have been barred from education, from opportunity, from even being considered a person in their own right and not just an extension of their husband, and have faced unbelievable and often violent resistance to being allowed to compete with men.
"While it may seem that women have simply chosen to steer clear of the construction field because it is so physically demanding, that may not have been the case. In all actuality, many cultures placed a major stigma on women who chose to venture into construction. For instance, for hundreds of years, female construction workers were put on a social level that was only slightly higher than that of prostitutes."
A Brief History of Women in Construction
Women weren’t allowed to control their own money or to make choices about what to do with their lives, and yet we’re supposed to look at men as the great innovators and the great builders when they very literally kept women from having almost any opportunities whatsoever.
Honestly, I think "street talk" must be code for "I just pull stuff out of my ass and decide that it's true." Besides being lame, it makes you look uneducated and desperately, desperately insecure.
