Gender roles have existed since the dawn of time. Men and women have different roles in which society they have lived in. To most members of an ancient society, their roles were given based on their gender. Civilizations in the past such as Ancient Athens held little regard to women. Women in Ancient Athens did not have much choice in what to do with their life and society did not deem it necessary for women to be educated since her role was simple to produce heirs for her husband and look after the family (Tetlow). Men are involved in political affairs, such as voting, but women were not (O’Pry). However, how Ancient Athens regarded women is not the same for all and respect towards women varied from one civilization to another. Society such as Egypt and Sparta held their women very highly. In Spartan society, women are educated and encouraged to be concerned in political affairs and manage their husband’s interest (O’Pry). Sparta is a warrior society and hence, men were usually away fighting wars. In Ancient Egypt, women are also regarded highly. Most bygone societies are highly patriarchal, but in Egypt, women could divorce her husband, manage finances and the household, and can also participate in legal matters in court such as perform as a jury, eyewitness and take issues to the judge (Hartwell). Roles women held even in ancient times varied and it is almost impossible to truly say that women experience absolute freedom and fairness. Traditional roles still live by today, but it is a goal where women find their voice and their importance in society.
Words Cited
Tetlow, Elisabeth M. “The Status of Women in Greek, Roman and Jewish Society.” http://www.womenpriests.org/. Wijingaards Institute for Catholic Research, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2016.
O’Pry, Kay. “Social and Political Roles of Women in Athens and Sparta.” Saber and Scroll: Vol. 1: Iss. 2, Article 3. http://digitalcommons.apus.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=saberandscroll. Accessed 31 Aug. 2016.
Harwell, Suzette. “The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt.” The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt (2003): n. pag. Web. 31 Aug. 2016.
