Born a female in the eighteenth century meant you had little to no rights compared to men of equal status. Women of the era only had to produce a male heir, and once that happened, in the eyes of society, her life was complete and no longer held any meaning. It was against custom for women to succeed the throne, so Marie’s long awaited first-born, Marie Therese, was a tool for marriage alliances and not the next ruler [Fraser, Antonia]. Girls faced damaging prejudice daily, particularly Marie, who was thrust into the spotlight at a very young age. At the age of fourteen, she moved to France from her home country, Austria, to secure an alliance between the two enemy countries. This contrasts greatly from today, which a fourteen-year-old is just beginning high school, and are focusing on homework and not being harassed on whether she consummated their marriage. The only reason Marie had to go to France and marry Louis XVI was because of her pedigree [Binhammer, Katherine]. She had no special skills that made her suitable for monarch status, it was only because of the family she was born into. Also, she wasn’t raised as a future queen, Marie was the fifteenth child of Queen Maria Teresa. Her mother's reputation throughout Europe was a woman aggressively planning the marriage of her children. Marie’s two older sisters were ahead of her in line for the throne, though the older one’s looks
Born a female in the eighteenth century meant you had little to no rights compared to men of equal status. Women of the era only had to produce a male heir, and once that happened, in the eyes of society, her life was complete and no longer held any meaning. It was against custom for women to succeed the throne, so Marie’s long awaited first-born, Marie Therese, was a tool for marriage alliances and not the next ruler [Fraser, Antonia]. Girls faced damaging prejudice daily, particularly Marie, who was thrust into the spotlight at a very young age. At the age of fourteen, she moved to France from her home country, Austria, to secure an alliance between the two enemy countries. This contrasts greatly from today, which a fourteen-year-old is just beginning high school, and are focusing on homework and not being harassed on whether she consummated their marriage. The only reason Marie had to go to France and marry Louis XVI was because of her pedigree [Binhammer, Katherine]. She had no special skills that made her suitable for monarch status, it was only because of the family she was born into. Also, she wasn’t raised as a future queen, Marie was the fifteenth child of Queen Maria Teresa. Her mother's reputation throughout Europe was a woman aggressively planning the marriage of her children. Marie’s two older sisters were ahead of her in line for the throne, though the older one’s looks