A women in classical Greece could……obtain weapons to protect the polis, manage the family shop after her husband dies, file for the husband leaving his child but just be ignored by the court,…………
The roles for women in both Sparta and Athens had similarities and difference, but Sparta’s women had more rights than women in Athens. Women in Athens had little to no rights; they could not own land, vote, and their primary role were to be the housekeepers. If a women’s spouse passed away she could not keep the land, unless she married someone else before they took the land away. Women in Athens were not allowed to partake in decisions concerning the government in Athens or enter into any contracts. They were only expected to be housekeepers, they would clean the house, take care of children, cook, and anything else that they would do at a house. They would also only ever go out of the house for funerals, festivals, and religious cults. She was not to be seen in public or even inside the house if her husband invited guests over. If he did invite guests she would have to go into the women’s quarters. She would also have to listen to whatever her husband says.…
In Sparta, women were well respected and had multiple roles within society. They were given more freedom than in most other Greek societies. The main reason for this was the fact that Sparta had a warrior culture and the men were away either at war or training for war. while the men were away the women had multiple roles. The most important of which was to give birth to healthy Spartan children to become warriors. Some of the other roles women had included; participating in religious festivals, and managing the kleros.…
Ancient Athens can be best described as a patriarchy, where women and children were under the authority and guardianship of a male (Blundell 66). A dichotomy exists between ancient sources surrounding the life led by Athenian women. On one side there is Xenophon, who portrayed Athenian women to be limited to a domestic role where household duties such as cleaning, cooking, and supervising slaves were primary activities of Athenian women. While on the other side there is Aristophanes, Demosthenes, Euripides, and Sophocles who provide evidence Athenian women did have opportunities to engage in activities outside their domestic roles. Although Athenian women did engage in primarily domestic roles as illustrated by Xenophon, evidence shows that Athenian women did participate in economic, social, and public activities.…
Women in classical Athens, according to many of the accounts of women's position in the Greek city-state, lived a life of domestic slavery. Men controlled politics and societal influence in the public setting, so the lives of women were no different from foreigners or slaves who also had no civil rights. The lives of women in classical Athens greatly contrasts the lives of women in America today; however both share similar family obligations. While the obvious differences are that women didn't hold political office, didn't own property, and women didn't work outside the home, similar to women in America today, women were the primary caretakers of the home.…
Have you ever wondered what the roles of Athenian men, women, and children were? Well, let’s start with the role of men. The men were into politics, and public events. The Olympic games were for men only, and while the men were entertained, the women were expected to stay home and watch the children. In Athens, pale skin was in style for women, showing that they were wealthy enough to stay inside while the men were in public. Next, let’s talk about the role Athenian women. The wealthy Athenian women were inside most of the time, while the men were outside dealing with the public. While they were inside for the whole day, they took care of the children, watched the slaves, prepared the meals, they sewed items like clothing, blankets, and more.…
Each of the sources suggests certain aspects about the roles that women played in Ancient Greek society. Three things it suggests about women are that not all women were of the same social status, women were generally used as slaves or laborers, but were still a vital part to Grecian society.…
During the sixth century BCE, women were given very small roles in the Greek community. The female duties were glorified in literary such as Antigone and The Odyssey. The typical housewife was made to have children and take care of the home while the men worked and fought. Women were given very few rights and didn't have an input in political issues. Women could exercise very little power in Ancient Greece due to literary, social, and political ideals.…
The Greeks had a similar concept of masculinity as the modern Western world, including traits such as dominance, strength, and virility, all of which were reversed for stereotypical femininity. However, men were not ostracized or considered inferior if they did not conform to these ideals or deviated from the norms of sexual orientation or gender identity.…
The common view in ancient societies was often that this was a world of men; that women were inferior. There is often debate on the role of women in society, but in reality, women play an important role in any type of society, whether it be good or bad. Women in ancient Greece, China, and the Roman Empire were able to exercise influence into their culture despite the discrimination toward them. Although each society was different, women shared similar influences in their power, and restrictions in the aspect of marriage. Although most of these ancient cultures viewed women similarly, of these three locations, the women in the Roman Empire had it best.…
Gender roles always have been an important topic throughout history, especially in the ancient Greek and Roman time’s genders played an important role. Males dominated all aspects of government and women were treated as subjects rather than a person. Greek and Roman times do not differ on how a person’s gender determined what he or she could do, for except in Roman times women had more rights.…
In Classical Greece, men's domination over women is clearly apparent in each social, economic, and political arena. According to this period, women exist because their existences are necessary in order to produce male heir for the continuity of the state. For this reason, women's roles are limited to procreation and marriage and they are not allowed to have economic and political rights, and their social roles are very restricted. According to Classical Greece, women only exist to produce male heir for the sake of the continuity of the state so women are expected to serve to this aim by being married a male citizen and producing children and their social role is only to be a mother; as a result of that, even if Spartan women have more economic,…
One thing that could have influenced women’s roles in society is the philosophy and the religion of the time. The religion of a society can dictate everything about people’s everyday lives, from what they wear, to what food they eat. Moreover, religion can especially influence how people treat and perceive others. The main religion of Ancient Greece at the time was the polytheistic Greek mythology that revolved around the twelve major Olympian gods and goddesses. While women did have a strong presence in the mythology with some of the most prominent gods being goddesses, such as Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens, the women in Greek myths were often very archaic stereotypes. They were usually either trying to stir up trouble for the male heroes or they were undyingly loyal to their husbands. “Myths and literature abound with female characters trying their best to derail the plans of male heroes, from the supreme witch Medea to the deadly, if lovely, Sirens. They can also be represented as ruled only by wild passion and ecstatic emotion such as the Maenads. In contrast, the ideal chaste woman loyal to her absent husband is epitomized by Penelope in Homer’s Odyssey” (Cartwright). Besides religion, another thing that greatly influenced society’s thinking was the philosophy of the time. In Greece, the most notable philosophers were…
The treatment and stigma towards women is constantly evolving. It varies from country to country, and it changing even today. As war driven cultures started to take over, freedom and respect for women decreased in ancient societies. Their freedom, rights, and societal status were ever changing in history. For this paper, the focus will be on the Ancient Minoa, Classical Athens, and the Roman Empire.…
To start with the basic roles women would have held in ancient societies in order to establish the superiority women held, an examination into the roles women had in households is necessary. Women in Ancient Greece would take care of the household. Women were believed to be forced to live completely within the household, rarely coming out except in the company of their husbands. Men wouldn’t allow the women to leave their homes. Women were basically like prisoners to their own homes. Even wealthy women were only supposed to stay at home and take care of the household, they had no public life. In numerous Greek homes, the top floors were the space of the women in the household. Women were not allowed to enter the room where their spouses had…