Athens vs Sparta

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Monika Greece CIv. Extra Credit Assignment Athens was always represented as a society of freedom and democracy, while Sparta was seen as slightly barbaric and old-fashioned. Yet when it came to the lives of women, it seems that Sparta was much more modernized then that of “civilized” Athens. The men of society respected Spartan women; they were allowed to go to school, to exercise, to wear what they wish, and to marry who they wished. Athenian women were expected to be obedient, had no citizenship, were uneducated, and were expected to be always presentable and plain. Athenian girls were raised differently in comparison to their male counterparts. Jean Vernant makes the statement that “boys were meant to be made men in their early years, while girls were raised to be kept and protected (i.e. virgin)”. Boys were taught to read and write, while on the other hand, girls were taught spinning and general domestic duties by the slaves of the family. Athenian girls were expected to spend their early years learning how to keep a household proper in order to obtain a suitable mate. Athenian women were forced into arranged marriage in which the father would find a suitable mate. When a girl was wed, which was around the age of 14, she was to offer all her toys to the temple of Artemis and to cut her hair. The marriage was representative of the relationship between the two families chosen. The marital contract was between the father of the bride and the groom, while the new bride’s dowry was given to the groom’s father’s brother. This helped insure the fact that if the groom were to ever pass, it would be the brother’s duty to find the widow another husband. Athenian women were objectified. They were sold off into marriage; they had no say in who they married. These women were not allowed to own property. So if the husband were to die, then she would be forced to
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