Women In Ancient Greece

Women have been treated unfairly for the most part by their government and different society. For most of history, most civilizations have restricted the rights and ability of women to own and manage property. Women in ancient civilization have had to fight in order to be treated fairly. Two major cities in Greek, Sparta, and Athenian even though they were in the same country they had two different views and treatment regarding women. Sparta women were treated a lot better and ha more freedom compared to a lot of different civilization. Athenian women were treated very poorly. Even though women aren’t talked about a lot in ancient Greek, they played a part a part in their respected cities. Overall, the society of ancient Greece, especially
in the period from 800 to 500 B.C. preserved the issues in marriage, inheritance and social life, fostering the debasing roles of women. The fact that men were denegation superior figures in this society, contributed entirely to the degrading of females. The issues and restrictions ancient Greek women tolerated, maintained the weak and subordinate view of females. Women have had to fight for equal treatment throw out the ancient world. The effect and difference between women roles and rights in ancient history especially in ancient Greece has been a challenged.

Women in Greek had virtually no political rights of any kind and they were controlled by men at nearly every stage of their lives. They were under the control and protection of their husband, father, or a male relative for their entire lives. Once the women would get married she was under the control of her husband. Before that, her father or a male relative served as her guardian. In ancient Greece, women endured many difficulties and adversity especially in three main areas. The three areas were, within marriage, inheritance and social life. These three areas shaped and formed the mold of the submissive female. The most important task for a city dwelling woman were to have children who were preferably male and to take care of the household. Rural woman had to do a little bit of the agricultural work: the harvesting of fruit and vegetable was their responsibility.
Fueled by the rapid evolution in the roles of women in modern society, historians have taken a fresh look at women in ancient Greece (Scott, P36).
Compared to other civilizations in the ancient world, the women of Greek generally did not enjoy high status, rank and privilege. Men spent the majority of their time away from their houses, this lead to the women of Greek dominated life at home. The wife was in charge of raising the children, spinning, weaving and sewing the family´s clothes. She supervised the daily running of the household. They way women were perceived in Ancient Greece has been subjected and talked about by a lot of historians. Part of the fascination lies in the difference between two of the most famous city-states – Athens and Sparta. Athens didn’t look as favorably upon women as Sparta did. In fact, while Athenian women were considered lower than slaves, Spartan women were independent and could even own property
(GreekBoston.com).
During modern times, most women had relatively few formal rights.
The women of ancient Sparta were a noticeable exception. Although Spartan women could not vote, they reportedly owned 40 percent of Sparta’s agricultural land, and enjoyed other rights that were equally unusual compared to women in different parts og Greece ( www.ancient.eu). Spartan women were a very strong, both mentally and physically. Spartan women were well educated, with knowledge of the arts, music, war, philosophy and much more, they were allowed more rights compared to the other woman in Greece was allowed. Women were allowed own property and they owned more than a third of the land in Sparta. They had the right to dispose of it as they wished.
Spartan women had a reputation for being bold and licentiousness that other Greeks found unseemly. Spartan women were given the opportunity to have a public education. This is the difference between other Greek girls who were not formally educated. Even though Spartan women who were educated were not able to use their education to pursue careers or earn money( www.ancient.eu).
As part of a Spartan girl's education, she would have been permitted to exercise outdoors, with no clothes on, like the Spartan boys, which was impossible in the rest of the Greek world. Not only would men and women not have been naked in public together, but a proper Greek woman would not usually set foot out of doors, other than to perhaps collect water from the cistern! Yet Spartan women not only exercised, they also participated in athletics, competing in events like footraces. Sparta, women emerge as landowners and are portrayed in training for motherhood and athletics (Scott, P36).

Women in the ancient world had had few rights.
They differed from country to country, or in the case of the women of Athens and Sparta, from city state to city-state. There were major differences in the roles that the women of Sparta and Athens experienced in their family, civic, and political lives. With respect to levels of power and the rights of women, Spartan women were better treated compared to other civilization. At the same time, Athenian and Spartan women’s rights as citizens were similar. In different parts of ancient Greece women became visible for different reasons. Women in Athens appeared center stage in comic discussions of sexual and political equality and in the law courts on issues relating to citizenship. (Scott,
P36). Women were not permitted to become citizens in the Athenian city-state. Since they weren’t able to own their own property, they weren’t able to hold full citizenship rights. Fascinatingly enough, slaves were able to become citizens if they were freed.
Women in Athenian actually had fewer rights than slaves because they were never allowed their own freedoms. Although women of Athenian weren’t allowed citizenship status and were not able to own property, they still identified themselves as being civilized. Athenian women were also not allowed an education; this was a lot different that compared to Spartan women. Men were the only ones allowed in the schools. The women in Athens, were required them to wear clothing that completely covered their bodies and were not able to walk anywhere they wanted. In ancient civilization women have had to struggle to be treated fairly. In Greek civilization the difference between the two major cities is very different. On one hand Spartan women had a lot of freedom and opportunity. On the other hand, Athenian women have had limited freedom an opportunity.