Women In Ancient Rome

The Romans’ enormous success was very remarkable compared to our study of classical Greece. The early Roman republic supported Rome’s growing population and made cities more stable. The constitution of the United States is largely modeled on that of the republic. The role and circumstances of Roman women also changed rapidly since ancient Rome was legendary founded on 753BCE and was fell in the fifth century. Roman women had some degree of independence for the ancient world when compared to Greek women. This essay will be discussing about Roman women, including the guardianship of women, marriage and divorce, and their daily life in society.

All Roman women except few of them were subject to some degree of limitation on their independence

for their entire lives; their authority to act was vested by their father, husbands, or guardian(tutors). In their original form, there were two types of guardianship which were tutela mulierm (guardianship of women) and another one was called tutela impuberum (guardianship of children). Due to father was head of the family and considered as basic Roman social and property owning unit, children was subject to the control of their family. When the infant girl’s baby was born, father had right to either refuse baby or accepted into their family and raised. Mother didn’t have the legal right to prevent the choice father made. In the Law of the Twelve Tables issued around 450BCE, father also had right to punish their daughters to death if they had shamed the family. It was abolished in the reign of Valentinian and Valens, but father’s power over their children was remain throughout this period. All children who were fatherless required to have guardians under classical Roman law. This guardianship applied to both sons and daughters; however, sons no longer needed guardian when they reached when they were age of fourteen, but daughters still needed guardians unless they got marry and came under the marital power of their husbands because of their weakness of judgement. The guardian also required when adult women who lost their father. There were several ways to consider who were appointed to be a guardian, but most of time they were nearest family member of their father or husband. Therefore, for women, the guardian could be their brother, paternal uncle, husband’s brother or even her own son. Traditionally, the Vestal Virgins was only women who was free from male guardianship in honor of their priesthood due to attend to the worship of the Roman goddess Vesta. The time of under Augustus, freeborn women who had borne at least three children, and freed women who had borne at least four children could claim exemption to not have guardian and had certain privileges to act independently and conduct their own affair.
There were three conditions must have been fulfilled to considered as legal marriage which were legal capacity, age, and consent of the relevant parties. If either requirement didn’t meet that meant no legal marriage existed between both parties. Firstly, if both parties were free and citizens, then there was legal capacity. Slaves had no capacity; therefore, their marriage with one of house member in slave households, for example, didn’t have legal states as marriages and no judicial effects. Marriage between Roman citizens and foreigners also didn’t have legal capacity. Marriage between ascendants and descendants was forbidden at all the time. Secondly, legal marriage existed only if both had reached puberty. At the age of fourteen, boys were released from guardians and could assume political and legal rights and responsibilities because they entry into manhood. For girl, they have reached puberty at the age of twelve and they were marriageable at that age as well. The last requirement for valid marriage was the consent of the relevant parties. The father’s consent was necessary in law all the time, and he even could prevent their marriage and control over their daughters to divorce which was very common in Roman society. Particularly in the wealthier classes, most marriages were conducted for political reasons. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, first 520 years from Rome’s existence, there was no divorce; the first divorce occurred in 230 BCE, by Spurius Carvilius Ruga. He divorced with his wife because she couldn’t have children. In the law of Twelve Tables, only type of divorce accepted was divorce by the husband.
In ancient Rome, women appeared as much engaged in their business.

At the time of Augustus, women sui iuris who were being subject to control over neither of a father nor of a husband could own property and conduct their own business, although some restrictions still applied them and required guardian’s authorization for various transaction. For example, the legal liability was guardian and they were responsible for the administrations of business. Usually, female slave and freed women didn’t engage in outside farm work, but they worked in occupations such as spinning of wove, textiles. They were also trained as maid, hairdresser, midwives, masseuse, attendant as their owner’s needs. Since some female slavery engaged in special task such as secretary or clerk, therefore they were very skillful and well educated. Those educated female slaves likely had opportunity to have freedom. The painting on the garden wall of the Villa of Venus Marina also depicted the scene of a woman spinning. From woman’s attire, she was considered as slave or lower class status, but it wasn’t clearly indicated the sign of her status, so spinning was assigned to those slaves or it was taking place in the country was not determined yet. Unlike Greek women who usually stayed at home, at the end of republic, Roman women accompanied their husbands to dinner parties and entertained guests at home. In early Roman republic, Roman women didn’t have any direct power in politics; however, gradually upper class women who were Roman politicians’ wives and female relatives of them were actively and effectively involved in politics. They use their social connections and wealth to help their husbands, sons, and lovers to establish their future

career.
After Roman republic established and culture spanned centuries, the role and position of Roman women changed dramatically. Although women still had some degree of restriction such as most of women needed guardianship from their fathers and husbands, some freeborn and freed women who achieved to have more than three children, and women sui iuris could own their property and even manage their own business. Roman women didn’t have any direct power in politics in early republic, but many upper-class women who were born in wealthy or powerful families could exert some influence in business and private negotiation. As Roman became wealthier because of economic growth, many women use their wealth to be more influential in their society.