Male VS. Female: The Argument of Every Err Gender rights are a prominent theme in many Classical Greek plays. Greek women were given no rights. They were not aloud out of the house with out a watchman, they were not aloud to have their own property and they were not granted citizenship. This is a repeated theme in many Greek plays.
Most women simply stayed at home and took care of the house and the family. A few of the women in higher status would be a leader. Others however would simply be housekeepers, servants, field hands, and skilled workers in workshops. In the early civilization of Greece the society was based on a patriarchal society. Because of this women had very little freedom, unlike the Egyptians.
Describe the role and status of royal and non-royal women in Persia society of this period. Supported by many historians and sources found, the Persian empire during the reign of Darius and Xerxes was strongly patriarchal. This is evident through the lack of sources of women during that time as the images that exist are mostly of men. Many Greek writers such as Herodotus did mention and name some Persian women of the court but these accounts are coloured by Greek prejudices of the authors so can’t always be reliable source of evidence. Thus, understanding of women in Persia during the reign of Darius and Xerxes is limited as sources found only briefly add to our understanding of the economic and social roles of non-royal and royal women throughout the empire.
A large amount of restrictions on the life of women were in the field of profession. Women were not allowed to become lawyers, doctors, politicians or writers as well as being forbidden to enrol for the army or navy. This could be because in Elizabethan times, women were seen as untrustworthy and deceitful due to the wide belief at the time that women’s periods were controlled by the moon and that their uterus migrated around the body, causing hysterics and lunacy. The greatest thing that a woman could do at the time was to become a mother, however due to the “untrustworthy nature” of women at the time, the fidelity of the woman was always kept under a high level of scrutiny, as it was impossible to take a test to determine who the biological father of a child was at the time. There were countless other ways in which women were viewed as “the weaker sex” such as the fact that they were forced to become dependent on
Women Can Too: Aspasia A Woman of Rhetoric “Women and slaves, inferior beings in every way, were condemned to silence as the appointed sphere and condition. And most women spoke no memorable alternative, that is, except for Aspasia. But even Aspasia’s voice is muted, for she speaks only through men.” (Glenn, 1994) Cheryl Glenn also stated “for the past 2500 years in the Western culture, the ideal woman has been disciplined by cultural codes that require a closed mouth (silence), a closed body (chastity), and an enclosed life (domestic confinement). Little wonder, that women have been closed out of the rhetorical tradition, a tradition of vocal, virile, public and therefore privileged men.” (Glenn, 1994) This enforced hushing of females during her time period has carved Aspasia out of textbooks, out of history, out of the lessons of future rhetoricians. Women were not looked to for knowledge or advise.
After all, in countries such as New Zealand (1893), Australia (1901), Finland (1906) or Norway (1913) women got the vote before the war began, whereas others such as Denmark (1915), Iceland (1915), Holland (1917) or Sweden (1919) gave it to women during the war without being involved in it. (http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_three.htm) Women did make steps when it came to labor, but many women also looked down on the working class feminists. They thought it was unnecessary, and women should have their own place in the home
Greek Men were involved in a number of activities, such as military training, politics, sailing, hunting, manufacturing in trade, and other ‘manly’ considered roles. On the contrary, women in ancient Greece usually did not have jobs. They were not involved in public life or in politics; women were expected to stay home and take care of the home duties and children; they also watched over the slaves (if owned any) that worked in their homes. Women were not allowed to watch theater nor perform at the theater (University Press Inc, 2012). Women were also not allowed to compete or watch the Olympics; they were, however, able to hold games of their own (Fiero, 2011).
Women, under the reign of male power, were not considered persons and weren’t allowed or guaranteed any rights, rights which are basic human rights. Women of these times were unable to vote and unable to sit in parliament or acquire certain jobs that were only made available to the men of society. A woman with a seat in the parliament was unheard of at this time, but it was all because of Murphy’s efforts that this was ultimately made possible. Under the BNA act of 1867, “Persons” refers to more than one person, while “Person” refers to “He”. A common law was passed in 1867 stating, “Women are persons in matters of pains and penalties, but are not persons in matters of rights and privileges.” This law solidifies the ideal that women are disregarded when it comes to basic rights and priviledges in society.
In early colonial times, the women of America lived in an era of gender inequality. They had very limited freedom; from not being able to vote, sue, testify in court, to not being able to be granted legal custody after a divorce, and so forth. Women were the targets of sexual discrimination. Women were highly disregarded in occupations, as well as in education. They weren’t allowed to enter many professions, from law to medical; or study in the prestigious schools of the males.
This would include men spitting, swearing, smoking and drinking alcohol. A women would never been seen doing any of the habits that men had. These were all ‘unwritten rules’. These were rules by unofficial, it was seen to be a society rule and would be frowned upon instead of being illegal/legal. Before 1914 women would dress by covering up all their body to an extent.