Spartan Women Research Paper

Women in ancient Athens had roles in society that in some ways are similar to the roles and expectations of women in our culture today. They had more rights than many women of their time, but their freedoms were still limited. Women of Athens accepted their role however, unlike women today who are much more outspoken. While this was the norm back then, much of it would never be deemed acceptable now.

The lives of women in Ancient Greece were often subject to control by men. Women were considered in many ways inferior to men, and they were never granted equal political rights. Not all Greek city-states treated women in the same manner, however. The greatest contrast in treatment of women was between Athens and Sparta. The Athenian view of women was that they were best kept out of the public sphere entirely, with few personal liberties or economic rights, and no direct involvement with politics.

Throughout culture, women have gone through various types of adversity as well as treatment. Some cultures, such as Persia, treated women with great respect and gave them social as well as legal freedom. Although they were treated less than men, they were given much more respect in comparison to many other cultures. In Athens, women and slaves were somewhat held to the same standard. “Citizenship was limited to males” (Crash Course) in Greece, so slaves and women were not given much respect and did not have very many legal rights.

Women have always been downplayed in history. The ladies of the B.C era were often deprived of things that today, are considered basic rights. Two societies, Athens and Sparta, both treated and held women to different standards. While Athenians viewed their women more as babymakers than actual human beings; Spartans regarded their female citizens with respect. It was better to be a Spartan woman because they had easier access to education, the ability to inherit land and were allowed more freedoms than other Greek women.

Spartan and Athenian Women’s Rights Women in Sparta and Athens lived very different lives. Spartan women had more rights than Athenian women did. Both societies were controlled by men, but Athenian women were treated worse. Athenian women weren’t allowed to go out of the house by themselves, voice their political views, own land, or get an education. In society, they thought they should keep women away from the rest of the village, so that’s what they did.

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.

Athens and Sparta had different views on women. In Athens, women were secluded and restricted to their home, living separately from the men. Women were married in their mid-teen, and their role in life was domestic management and to bear sons. Athenian women could only negotiate small

For a period as ancient as 650 BC, Spartan women had a remarkable role to play in society. The females in Sparta were given high importance ever since their birth. They were not restricted from participating actively in the community and were given a rigorous training for their physical fitness, just like their male friends and brothers. They competed in sports, were literate- a highly uncommon feature in the ancient world, and were free to speak their minds in public, which was considered rather scandalous well until as late as nineteenth century. Women in Sparta wore short clothes that had high slits exposing their thighs for the sake of unrestricted and free movement that allowed them to walk around freely and drive chariots around the city.

The women of Athens were very much separated from the males; not only in public, but privately- the houses were segregated on sexual lines. The proper etiquette for females, in Athens, was to be obedient and submissive. They were heavily relied on for preparation of food, bearing and educating children, house cleanliness, and spinning weaving. The Athenian women were not given the same inheritable writes as the Spartan; yet, the Women of Sparta were permitted to “safe-keep” houses. Plato, a Greek philosopher,

I can say it dos surprise me in how women’s opportunities in Sparta women were traded better and women were more value in one way with more freedom, right, and education even Spartan women were known to do sports. We can see Spartan were know to be a strong culture with warrior husband that protect and fight for them self’s, and women mother, and wife for these incredible warriors. I can say Athenian democracy were very hard with their people including with their women’s, by taking their wife their freedom, and educations. I do believed Spartan culture were better than Athenian democracy, in both cultures men were the ones who dominate and control, but just Athenian democracy had this roles of controlling women, and Spartan women had more freedom.

This meant that women’s political voice although not directly spoken, was indirectly influential in Spartan politics. A significant contrasting position for Spartan women within the similar social structure was that Spartan women had the right to hold property, which had many economic benefits (Fleck, Hanssen, 2005). Athenian women on the contrary were prohibited from owning, buying or selling land (O’Pry, 2012). Consequentially this right gave women the opportunity to

In Athens, there was a lot of opportunity for a male. An Athenian male could become a scholar, poet, politician, or pretty much anything they wanted; but females on the other hand, didn 't have that power. Men was under the understanding that females were incapable of making reasonable decisions in the political world. The idea of gender equality was non-existent in the Athens society. As said by Historian Don Nardo “throughout antiquity most Greek women had few or no civil rights and many enjoyed little freedom of choice or mobility.” He also stated “aside from poetry, women’s writing survives only in private letters written on papyrus preserved by ancient of nature, only from Hellenistic and Roman Egypt.” (O’Pry 2012) Women in the Athens society that were in an upper class were

Despite Athenian and Spartans being associates of the same influential nation, these two states or ‘Peloi’ and denominations of people in Ancient Greece in (400BC) were substantially different. The women in their own distinct societies endured several problematic issues and experienced inequity, demoralisation and condemnation. The notion of women and their purpose was typically conjectured by men in society, specifically Aristotle who claimed that women brought ‘disorder, were evil, were utterly useless and caused more confusion than the enemy’ . However despite misogynistic, biased and loathsome perspectives of women, both Athenian and Spartan women have all played exceedingly significant roles and contributed substantially to the prosperity of Ancient Greek society in their own inimitable ways.

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

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.