Women in Ancient Greece Essay Example

📌Category: Ancient Greece, Gender Equality, History, Social Issues
📌Words: 739
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 24 January 2022

Throughout the ancient Greek period of time, women faced difficult ideals and did not have the support to make their decisions in Athens. Women had to work through being put down and were forced to be and do things they didn't want, but in Sparta, they had more freedom and power than in Athens. But women in Sparta and Athens had very different lifestyles and problems they faced.

The women in Sparta had a lot more opportunities than the women in  Athens did. Freedom for women was easier to have for women because there was less worry for women in Sparta. As infants, female and male babies were fed equally, whereas, in Sparta, male children and babies were fed and treated much better than females. The education for females differed from male education in Sparta and Athens. While boys started school at the age of 7, girls spent most of their childhood at home with their mothers, in this time, they would learn how to take care of and look after the house for when they would have a family in the future. "Because of this separation, Spartan women had greater freedom of movement and greater power in the household than was common elsewhere in Greece." (pg 116 of Ancient Greece textbook) The main reason why women had more freedom was that their husbands were usually in the army until the age of 30, and that gave them the freedom to raise their children and have less struggle to uphold the ideals of their spouses. Wifes held high expectations for their husbands and sons to be brave strong in war. These points show that women still were treated very differently from men but still had a decent amount of opportunities and freedom considering the quality of treatment that women in Athens got. 

Women in Athens were held to very high and hard expectations that were not fair at all. They were allowed to take part in religious festivals and funerals if they were citizens, and that was about it. They were to stay at home the entirety of the day, they had to stay in their quarters that were out of sight. They would only be allowed to leave the house if they had the company of a man. The Athenian women were held to be good wives to their husbands. Their main role in society was to make male children so they could keep the family line running. She was expected to do housework or make sure that their slaves were doing the housework correctly, and the women were heavily controlled. On page 122 of the Ancient Greece textbook, this line shows what women had to go through and how they would live. "Women could not own property other than personal items. They always had a male guardian: if unmarried, a father; if married, a husband; if widowed, a son or male relative. Because they married at 14 or 15, girls learned their responsibilities early." Women had a male guardian at all times, if they were married, it would be their husband, but if they weren't married, it would be their father. Mothers were responsible for teaching their daughters how to work around the house because there was no education for women in Athens. The only reason women would work outside the home would be if she did not have enough money or was very poor. The Athenians did not treat women right or fair, and this was not made right for a very long time.

The men in Ancient Greece were in the power seat of the house if they were wealthy and white. Men in Greece were the head of the household and were the only ones that socialized outside of the home. They were encouraged to go out, hold events and meet new people while women stayed at home. The average male in Ancient Greece either worked in business or as a farmer to provide for their family. With all the power that white men had, they controlled and made the wives to anything they wanted, which was ruthless and unfair. It made it so women could not make any stands to fight for their freedom in Athens because they didn't have any control or freedom.

In Ancient Greece, women did not have the chance to make their own decisions in life and were forced to do what their male guardians wanted them to do. Spartan women were treated more highly because they had more freedom when their husbands were away or in the military. Whereas women in Athens faced tougher rules and standards to provide and please their families. Ancient Greece was a struggling time for women when they could not make their own decisions and have the freedom they should've had.

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