The Roles of Greek and Roman Women Essay -- Greek, Roman, Women, femin

Greek and Roman women lived in a world where strict gender roles were given; where each person was judged in terms of compliance with gender-specific standards of conduct. Generally, men were placed above women in terms of independence, control and overall freedom. Whereas men lived in the world at large, active in public life and free to come and go as they willed, women's lives were sheltered. Most women were assigned the role of a homemaker, where they were anticipated to be good wives and mothers, but not much of anything else. The roles of women are thoroughly discussed in readings such as The Aeneid, Iliad, Sappho poetry, and Semonides' essay. Most women in ancient Rome were viewed as possessions of the men who they lived with. Basically they were handed from their father to their new husband at the time of their marriage and submitted any property they owned, or dowry they were given, to their husband. There were however two types of marriage in ancient Rome, Manus and sine Manus. Under the first type, Manus, the woman and all of her property and possessions were placed under the control of her husband and he could do with them how he pleased. Under the second type, sine Manus, the woman remained under the control of her oldest male relative, usually her father or brother. This type of marriage gave women a lot more freedom because they could carry out their own cash businesses, own their own property, and accept inheritance money (Gill, 5). Aside from the two different forms of marriage that was allowed, marriages in ancient Rome were very similar to those of the ancient Greeks. Girls married young, usually in their early teens, and many marriages were arranged by the family, usually the male head of the home. ... ...literature I couldn’t help but compare my lifestyle to the woman in the stories. Women today are no longer looked upon only to supervise over their home and family, they are not forced into marriages, and they are not blamed for all the world’s problems. Today’s society is not a patriarchal one; in fact today men and woman appear to be equal to one another. Works Cited Virgil. "The Aeneid" Book IV (lines 254-257, and lines 654-656) Gill, N.S. "Comparisons Between Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome", pages 1-8 Homer. â€Å"The Illiad† by (Book I, IV) Frost, Frank J. "Greek Society in the Age of Polis" (5th Edition) Pages 92, 93 Semonides of Amorgos (c. 625 B.C.) An Essay on Women ( lines 10-12) Semonides of Amorgos. â€Å"Women.† c. 7th cent. B.C.E. Trans. Diane Arnson Svarlien. Web. 7 Oct. 2014 The Roles of Greek and Roman Women Essay -- Greek, Roman, Women, femin Greek and Roman women lived in a world where strict gender roles were given; where each person was judged in terms of compliance with gender-specific standards of conduct. Generally, men were placed above women in terms of independence, control and overall freedom. Whereas men lived in the world at large, active in public life and free to come and go as they willed, women's lives were sheltered. Most women were assigned the role of a homemaker, where they were anticipated to be good wives and mothers, but not much of anything else. The roles of women are thoroughly discussed in readings such as The Aeneid, Iliad, Sappho poetry, and Semonides' essay. Most women in ancient Rome were viewed as possessions of the men who they lived with. Basically they were handed from their father to their new husband at the time of their marriage and submitted any property they owned, or dowry they were given, to their husband. There were however two types of marriage in ancient Rome, Manus and sine Manus. Under the first type, Manus, the woman and all of her property and possessions were placed under the control of her husband and he could do with them how he pleased. Under the second type, sine Manus, the woman remained under the control of her oldest male relative, usually her father or brother. This type of marriage gave women a lot more freedom because they could carry out their own cash businesses, own their own property, and accept inheritance money (Gill, 5). Aside from the two different forms of marriage that was allowed, marriages in ancient Rome were very similar to those of the ancient Greeks. Girls married young, usually in their early teens, and many marriages were arranged by the family, usually the male head of the home. ... ...literature I couldn’t help but compare my lifestyle to the woman in the stories. Women today are no longer looked upon only to supervise over their home and family, they are not forced into marriages, and they are not blamed for all the world’s problems. Today’s society is not a patriarchal one; in fact today men and woman appear to be equal to one another. Works Cited Virgil. "The Aeneid" Book IV (lines 254-257, and lines 654-656) Gill, N.S. "Comparisons Between Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome", pages 1-8 Homer. â€Å"The Illiad† by (Book I, IV) Frost, Frank J. "Greek Society in the Age of Polis" (5th Edition) Pages 92, 93 Semonides of Amorgos (c. 625 B.C.) An Essay on Women ( lines 10-12) Semonides of Amorgos. â€Å"Women.† c. 7th cent. B.C.E. Trans. Diane Arnson Svarlien. Web. 7 Oct. 2014