Spartan Women Research Paper

Just like most Spartan women. In the Spartan Woman by Emily Gere Mason, she discuses the traits of a traditional Spartan Woman. They were strong and stood up for what they believed in, they even owned property. They were essential in everyday life to men, mostly for their pleasure and the fact they were consider and entry to the gods. But women knew these things and used them in their favor. Using power of your femininity is smart, to a certain extant. I believe that strong Spartan women have also influenced today’s society by the strong roles they played back then. In Kay O’Pry’s Social and Political Roles of Women in Athens and Sparta, she gives more insight into the actual Spartan Woman. How girls who just reached puberty were not married off, allowing them to actual find love and chose for themselves. They also had to be just as educated as the men, so they could be the head of the house when they went off to war. Though they could not be involved in the political world of Sparta, they were still considered to have a huge impact with them. Along with all of these things they could also own property, another responsibility that many women didn’t have

Spartan women, on the other hand, were more free than women in any other Greek city-state. While they were also not given the ability to directly participate in politics, they had much more freedom in terms of their ability to own property and conduct

In the classical Greek polis man pronouncedly dominated. Man – superior and overbearing. Women didn’t have a voice in the society and has always dependent on man. Independent woman was not heard of in ancient times. Woman was a lower creature and this position is clearly formulated by Aristotle. But the women of ancient Sparta were a special kind of women. She was a woman that produced worriers whose legend remains until this day.

The women of Sparta enjoyed more freedom than women from many of the other Greek city-states such as Athens. Ancient Women’s historian Sarah Pomeroy writes in her book Spartan Women, “We know little about Spartan women, but it is not so readily conceded that we do not actually know much about Spartan men either.” What we do know is that Spartan women were known for their natural beauty, and also that they were forbidden from wearing any kind of makeup or enhancements. Spartan women were provided education most, unlike most other city-states. They were not able to have careers or make money. All of their money was provided to them by their family or the government. A proper Greek woman would not usually set foot outdoors, other than to perhaps

They had a great amount of influence despite not having a vote within the assembly. Daughters could inherit as much as a son or brother could and could inherit property. They acquired land through inheritance from their families and through marriage. The income from her own lands, she said with her husband and his income, he shared with her. Since men spent most of their time training or at war, they were granted full access and stake in the husband’s estate. Writing in the fourth century B.C., Aristotle indicated that, by the fifth century B.C., Spartan women owned two-fifths of the land (Jones, A.H. M., 136).  Her independence allowed her to express herself, be assertive, and had much more expected of them than other Greek women. Women’s tunics were worn in a way to give them a little more freedom of movement and the opportunity to reveal a little leg and thigh if they desired to (Michell, H., 47). Spartan women dominated the household, offered opinion on public matters, and held power in and outside the home. They were the forefront of society behind the man.

Beginning around 490 BC when civilization was ruled largely by men; every man was proven their preeminence within their society based highly on their woman. As stated in the book, “Warrior Ethos,” Leonidas picked the men he did not for their “warrior prowess” but he instead picked them for the courage of their women. Women in the Spartan society were known for their great influence on Spartan men. Their roles as Spartan soldier’s wives were major. Spartan women were strong both physically and mentally, they were well educated and given more freedom than majority of women in the ancient world. Spartan women played a significant role in the rise and fall of the Spartan Empire, though it was small compared to world empires, it was a role that would providing a last impression for generations to follow. This role was based predominantly on their background growing up, their marriage, and how much land they possessed.

There was no option to become a carpenter or philosopher, city-state’s entire focus was built on producing the greatest military in Greece. Life was judged from birth because the Spartans practiced infanticide, casting any baby boys and girls off the top off a mountain that displayed and defects or weakness, something that was not done in Athens. Parents didn’t hold the right to intervene for the decision was made by the state. Girls received a physical education, they were raised to be fit child bearers who would produce many more soldiers, and that was the purpose of their existence. They were far more outspoken and opinionated in contrast the the women of Athena.

Based on Robert W. Strayer’s Ways of The World, Sparta offered women the best life. Whether about her personal finances, physical fitness, or domestic role, Spartan women enjoyed more liberty than their contemporaries did in China, India, Athens, and Rome. Whereas domestic Chinese women served as the kinder, gentler Yang to the husband’s strong, rigid Yin, Spartan women exercised “more authority in the household and because Chinese women were expected to behave “womanly" and with “implicit obedience,” China is precluded from being the best civilization for a woman to live in (pp. 234, 236, 245-6, 239). Another contrast to Sparta is India, where bikkhunis wrote stories of escape and freedom from patriarchy (pp. 247-8, 218). Although Indian women were “at the core of social life,” Spartan women did not have public roles (pp. 217, 240).

If you built a time machine and I had to choose between being sent to Sparta and the Salian Franks, it would be a tough call, but in the end I would have to choose to live in Sparta. There are many reasons behind that choice, but most of them tie back to me being a female and how each society treated their women, both Spartan and Salian cultures treated women better then Roman society that being said Spartan culture, according to Xenophon women were treated very similarly to the men in many ways.

As the social studies textbook says, “Spartan women were raised to be strong and vigorous. They participated in sports....[They] had a good deal of freedom and responsibility...they had greater independence than women in other city states.” When other city states treated women like unequals, Sparta was the one that gave women rights. By giving women the right to participte in sports and get an education, the city-state of Sparta coud ensure that the women could give birth to smart and healthy children.

But in the Spartan society, the woman had a dignified position just because they were the mother of the famous Sparta worriers. The Athenian women were also not allowed for education or to educate themselves. Men were the only ones allowed in the schools. They also wore clothing that completely covered their bodies and was not able to walk where they

Education was not limited to boys, and although girls did not have to endure the agoge, they did join 'herds' and receive rigorous physical training. The 'bibasis' exercise, which saw girls jumping up and down and touching their heels to their buttocks, was particularly arduous. The girls were also involved in sports like "running, wrestling, throwing the javelin and discus, and ball games." The entire premise of the education of girls was to create physically and emotionally mature women who would act as fine mothers and child bearers for a generation of strong warriors. It was, in essence, eugenics.

Throughout ancient human history, men and women held vastly different roles. Women were often given the duty of bearing and raising children, whereas men were expected to fight, provide an income, and protect the household. Women were seen as totally inferior to men and described by Euripedes as “a curse to mankind” and “a plague worse than fire or any viper.” However, this misogynistic view of women and designated role of inferiority was not apparent in every ancient civilization. The role of the female in ancient Greek history can best be explored and contrasted between two important civilizations: The Spartans and the Athenians. The Spartan women were incredibly advanced for their time, and the Athenian women were drastically far behind. Both the Spartan and Athenian women held roles at home and lived lives far removed from the men of their societies. However, their lives were much different. While the Spartan women were strong and educated, the Athenian women held a status almost equal to slavery. The Spartan women were far more advanced than Athenians in aspects of life including education, athleticism, and independence.

On the contrary to life of women in Athens, the women of Sparta had considerable freedom. They were allowed to leave their houses when ever they pleased. They were required per the state policy to have education both from physical and educational perspective. The reason for physical education was because they could make and nourish babies that would be healthy for the children to be capable of being good warriors and if the baby was not fit as they would be judged by the elders, as mentioned before they would be left to die outside the city.

First, besides their strong military, Sparta was known for providing women with a decent amount of rights. In these rights, education was provided. According to Plutarch(Document E), women had to be educated and trained in order to produce healthy offspring. Women were trained in many things such as “wrestling running, and throwing the quoit*, and casting the dart”(Document E). These activities were meant to strengthen women in order to produce “healthy and vigorous offspring”(Document E). By producing healthy and vigorous offspring, Sparta had a better chance at winning battles. Therefore, women being provided with an education had highly contributed to the strengths of a Spartan education.