Ancient Gender Roles

“As regards the sexes, the male is by nature superior and the female inferior, the male ruler and the female subject” – Aristotle

The world that is exists today is far different than that of Aristotle’s. In just the past year, America saw its first female presidential candidate nearly win the election, the first African American woman become the most decorated gymnast of all time, and the United States Treasury’s announcement of Harriet Tubman’s face being put on the twenty dollar bill. But was it always this way? When looking back to the time period of the Ancient World, the answer to this question is very clear. Though women have a very different, extraordinary, elevated position today, the role of women in the ancient world was not the

same. Though variations were present depending on ethnicity, religion, and social class, overall, the role of women in the ancient women was contained and restrained – though there are differences to be examined between women of different cultures.
A main role that women had in the ancient world was the role of wife, mother, home-maker, and mistress of the household.

In different cultures, this role took diverse forms, but generally, it had the same characteristics. From the very beginning at birth, females were the under the control of their male guardian, often their father or appropriate male relative. Marriage was inevitable and not decided by them, but rather for them, and it was often sooner rather than later. Most girls were married off between the ages of twelve and eighteen and often to a man twice their age (pg. 93). The details of a dowry, or payment, were arranged by the male guardian. The age difference, circumstances surrounding the arrangement, potential blood ties to the spouse and lack of input from the girl greatly affected the dynamic of the marriage. Most of all, the highest calling (and, in most men’s eyes during that era, their only calling) of a woman was to bear children – especially sons – for her husband, family, and

society.
The specifics of ancient women taking on the role wife, mother, and home-maker vary slightly between cultures. When comparing the Greek and Roman ancient women, for instance, there are some notable differences.
Roman women, in general, appear to have had a higher status and more power than, say, the Greek women in their era, but when comparing Roman females to Roman males, they were treated differently. As girls, the Romans were given the same opportunities educationally as their fellow male students – however this depended greatly on social status, wealth, and the era they lived during (“it is not clear whether girls received any education in early Rome, although they certainly did later on.”) (174). It appears that girls were given a good foundation of education, but because of their gender and their different purpose in life, they were taught differently than the Roman males. Often heading into a practical, prestigious career, the boys course of study was “practical, vocational, and moral” (174). In their early years girls were tutored at home rather than going to a school. The course of girl’s education after her early, foundational years was subject to interruption. While boys pursued higher education to learn and sit under philosophers and rhetoricians, girls were often married off. However, to their credit, Roman women often found ways to continue their education, even going on to blossom into writers and poets. A distinction to be seen between the Roman and Greek women is that perhaps there was a higher importance and worth placed on education for the Romans, enabling the Roman women to become more learned than Greek women in their era even after marriage and family became a large part of their life.
There also appears to be discrepancy between Greek and Roman women in their role in and level of respectability in the home and society. While the Greek women appear to have been heavily subjected to the harsh authority in life and forced to strictly adhere to rules and legalistic pressures of society and family, it would seem that Roman women had some more freedom in those areas.
Sadly, “in the Athenian way of thinking, women were ‘lent’ by one household to another for bearing and raising a male heir to continue the existence of the oikos (or households) of their husbands.” (93) Once they were a part of their husband’s household, they were carefully segregated from any other men outside the family and heavily confined the women’s quarters.

An appalling but normalized characteristic of Greek society was the open nature Greek husbands went outside of the home for sexual gratification. Meanwhile, “respectable” wives were expected to stay home to raise their children, manage the household, and perhaps take up artistic, feminine hobbies that would benefit others. Divorce was incredibly difficult to attain and was only possible with the support of a male relative. Even if divorce occurred, the returned dowry was not put back in the control of the woman, but into the hands of her male guardian. One area of Greek culture that women were able to participate and play a part in was religion; women were expected to be present for various “rituals and festivals of the state religion.” (94) Other than that one exception, Greek wives were expected to be “at home out of sight, quiet, and

unnoticed.”
Alternatively, Romans approached the role of wife, mother, and homemaker for their women differently. While it was expected for the women of Rome to occupy these positions and fulfill them well, they had more respect in those tasks. Also, it is worth noting that a Roman man and father had broad almost terrifyingly excessive power – likened to that of a king – over his household, specifically his children, but less power over his wife. He could commit atrocious crimes against his offspring, such as selling or killing them, but he could do neither to his wife. If a Roman man wished to divorce his wife, it could only be done for serious offenses and after “she had been convicted by a court made up of her male blood relatives.” (168) Roman women had a more respected position in managing her household. Though Roman women were not allowed to occupy and significant public or political role, it is suggested that they were recognized for some potential and worth they had to offer to society and were respected in that (again, depending on their social class, either patrician or plebeian).
After analyzing the lives women lived in ancient society and the role they had, it is no understatement to say that the rights, independence, and regard for women have advanced incredibly. The world that women have today is not the same that Greek and Roman women of the ancient world occupied, and that is a great blessing. Hopefully it will not be abused, reversed, or taken for granted in the future.