Throughout The Odyssey, written by Homer, the treatment of women plays a key role in the overall outcome of the story and is a central issue presented in this poem. In many scenarios it is evident that men are treated with superiority to women. During the era that this story was written, men played the dominant role. Society was organized, directed, and controlled by men, and it was accepted that women occupied a subservient and inferior position. Questia states, “Despite their vital role in Ancient Greek and Roman society, women were not considered full citizens and in most instances required a guardian – their fathers, and later husbands – to represent them” (“Women in Ancient Greece and Rome”).
In Athens women could participate in religious cults and festivals but other than that they were excluded from the public life. They were not allowed to own property besides personal items and always had a male guardian. The bare responsibility for a woman in Athens was only to raise children and keep care of the household. As for Spartan women they lived at home as well but because the men were at war most of the time they were alone by themselves. This gave them greater freedom of movement and greater power in the household.
Roman wives were not segregated from males in the home, unlike the Greeks. Also, in Rome the father’s of women arranged the marriages of their daughters, unlike the Greeks. In Greece the Spartan women had greater freedom of movement and greater power in the household than was common for women elsewhere in Greece. This was the case because of the separation of their husbands remaining in military barracks until the age of thirty.
Both Han China and classical Athens shared many ideas bout governments, women, and children. The ideas weren’t exactly the same there were differences, like they didn’t have the same form of government and women had different right in both Han China and classical Athens. Even though there are differences between Han china and classical Athens involving women children and government, the similarities out way the differences. During both classical Athens and Han China women were thought of nothing much than a house wife. During classical Athens women could not leave there homes unless there was a religious festival, birth of a child, or funeral but have to have their heads covered.
Modernization throughout the time period is a factor of the advancement of civil rights for women since separate spheres, which was an ideology where men belonged in the public sphere that refers to the world of politics, economy and law. Where as women belonged in the private sphere where it included domestic work, child caring, housekeeping and religious education. Some Women did go against the ideology by working in a men dominated environment e.g. Politics. Activism by women was not the most important factor in advancing civil rights in certain issues and it would disagree with the judgment.
Men on the other hand had the freedom to freely express themselves by way of literature, which is seen in the works of various authors of this time period. The lack of women authors during this time period leads us to believe that women, for the most part, were limited to domestic duties that were to keep the household running smoothly. Anne Bradstreet on the other hand defied the average norms of a woman’s role in colonial America and voiced her mind by way of literature. In the early Virginian colony, Captain John Smith boasted, “He, who does not work, will not eat.” This shows that there was absolutely no room for slackers, and both men as well as women had to do their part to keep the society running as smooth as possible. The work required to sustain a family in the rather bleak environmental situations of the early colonies was demanding for all.
The women did domestic work, taking care of children, or spinning and weaving. The Young men often played sports and females were forbidden to watch. Girls didn’t really do much physical activity. Inequality/roles - Respectable wives roles were to keep pretty, stay home, and to bear ( take care of) the children. If a wife wanted to get a divorce she would loose everything including her children, and would have to return home to their male figure.
Although before the Civil War, women rarely took a part in society, the war significantly changed women’s roles in many ways. Before the Civil War, women typically worked in and around their homes. The typical housewife would cook, clean and raise many children while the men worked. Many people typically did not promote women to branch out outside their homes, particularly stated by historian, Linda Miles Coppens that “Horace Man, president of Ohio’s new interracial and coeducational college publishes ‘A Few Thoughts on the Power and Duties of Women’ in New York. He warns women against vocations of preaching or politics, explaining that they can influence public opinion in their homes and communities.” They were strictly housewives and were destined to raise children.
Dictating the development of their culture and to separate the roles of each gender is what these rules helped. In ancient Greek society, men held a number of rights and had a number of responsibilities that were not available to females within the society. Men had the dominant role in public life in ancient Greece. They were engaged in politics and public events, while women were often encouraged to stay in the home. Now the roles and responsibilities of women were limited.
GENDER AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT The term "gender" refers to the male and female roles shaped by a society, learned indi¬vidually and re-negotiated by each new gene¬ration. Male/female roles are determined pri¬marily by the social, cultural and economic organisation of a society, and by the prevailing religious, moral and legal perceptions. Female and male roles and scope for action are not static, but are subject to constant change. They can vary enormously from one society to another, and even within any one society there can be significant differences depending on social class, family status, and ethnic or reli¬gious background. These roles are not neutral but characterised by different possibilities for making choices, and different rights and deci¬sion-making powers; generally to the disad¬vantage of women.