Marjane Satrapie, in her book Persepolis, states, “I wanted to be an educated, liberated women. And if the pursuit of knowledge meant getting cancer, so be it (73) The oppression of women has been present in several different cultures. While many women in different nations have fought to establish their place in society, several cultures still suppress women with harsh restrictions on their way of life. Well-known authors such as Marjane Satrapi, Bahithal al-Badyia, and (add name here), though born in different eras, all understood the fundamental importance of women
In Gender and Immortality: Heroines in Ancient Greek Myth and Cult, Deborah Lyons discusses the significance of the heroine in ancient Greek religion and society. She brings up the reality that because of ancient Greek sexism, very little attention has been given to women hero figures. Lyons believes the heroine is involved in the relations between male and female and mortal and immortal. Throughout the text, she attempts to portray the importance of the heroine in ancient Greek society. One such example she provides in the form of Attic-vase painting.
They were often paid less than men for doing the same work, and they had limited opportunities for advancement. (Pg
The Mughal and Safavid Empires featured an important variety of political power. However, they were different in that while the women’s freedom decreased after Shah Abbas’ death, the women of Mughal Empire had their freedom unrestricted until the end of the Mughal Empire. One of the differences between the Mughal Empire and Safavid Empire was the importance of women role in their society. After Shah Abbas death, the Safavid Empire strongly supported a patriarchal system in their society and restricted freedom and rights to women.
Out of all the stories we have read so far, the two stories that immediately come to mind are, Antigone and Medea. Although both of these stories show how woman were treated during this time, both woman go against the status quo and think, and act for themselves. In Medea, she gives a speech that emphasizes the way woman were supposed to act, “If a woman leaves her husband, then she loses her virtuous reputation. To refuse him is just not possible. When a girl leaves home and comes to live new ways, different rules, she has to be a prophet, learn somehow the art of dealing smoothly with her bedmate”( ).
The war shifted the cultural and theatrical scenes of Athens greatly. The war especially affected the women of Athens. With their husbands and brothers dying at war, many had to search for low paying jobs in the city. Women gained more involvement with the Athenian workforce but they gained no political power. The population became poorer and many cultural traditions, like their famous festivals and parades, lost their funding to support the soldiers and military expenses.
In Ancient Greek Civilization, women were viewed as submissive. A man always controlled the women; that either being the Father or Husband. Women were forced to stay in the house and complete all household duties. Women were not even granted the right to attend assemblies, participate in politics, or even represent themselves in court. Having little to no overall power in your society can have a huge burden on Women but this can also fuel certain Women to strive to change the society they live in.
While ancient civilizations had commonly put their women in the lower level of the society, the Etruscans treated their women differently. Etruscan women are known to be taken seriously and enjoyed a great deal of freedom and equality with that of men. For instance, while most Roman societies considered symposiums, such as those that included festive drinking, sex and the involvement in the sharing of thoughts to be an all-man’s affair, it was not so among the Etruscans. Women in the Etruscan society are allowed to attend banquets, and share a toast with men, signifying how they are equally treated in the society. While historians have difficulty interpreting the literary works of the Etruscans, they shifted their focus on other archaeological
In ancient times, there is a general sense that women were simply items and slaves to their husbands. Ancient Greece specifically has a renowned reputation of favoring men. Men possessed the dominant role in public affairs and events while most women were pressured to stay at home. Very few records extensively discuss women; the records focus mostly on men. Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts.
Gilgamesh view on women is shown in the way he treated the brides on Uruk. Enkidu is shown difference because he help make laws against such things. It shows differences between both men on their views. Enkidu respect women more than Gilgamesh because he learn from the love priestess and help the Bride house against what Gilgamesh was doing to the brides. Gilgamesh was rude to Ishtar which led to the fact that he did not respect women and saw them as lower than him.
While the occupations made available to men were without boundaries, the occupations made available to women
Women’s roles has changed dramatically throughout history. By looking at the lives of women, it would be possible to tell how the civilians at that specific period of time were living. In this paper, women’s lives in mainly three civilizations would be discussed, the Sparta, the Athens, and the Hellenistic era. In Sparta, women were needed to live at home, while their husbands remained in military barracks until the age thirty.
Different societies view women in different lights. Therefore, a woman’s position is greatly different from one society to the other. The societies in question do not necessarily have to exist at the same time. Even in the same time frame, two societies could exist, where one treat women as equals to men, and another that treats women differently than men, whether better or worse. The societies in question are: Mesopotamia, Greece, China, Rome & Europe, and this essay aims to study different societies’ viewpoints on women, and to compare and contrast them against each other.
Over generations, the role of women in society has shifted and changed immensely, improving upon many aspects of rights and values that women have. The changes occurred gave women opportunities to provide ideas, to have the same rights as men, giving women freedom, leading to many contributions of many significant and valuable events. But from current roles of women being equal to those of men, how women stood in ancient society significantly differs and contrast with ours today. Throughout history, the role and significance of women were always outweighed by the dominance and influence of men. The role of women in ancient times varied throughout, depending on the place and area in the world, in which women had different roles and impacts on their own society.
In the Ancient world, much like today, each society exercised, according to their custom, different treatment towards women. Today, unlike in the Ancient world, women enjoy more freedom, rights, and equality. In this essay, the status of women in ancient Egypt will be compared to the status of women in ancient Rome. Academic sources will be relied on to provide the necessary actualities when one investigates ancient lives and cultures. The legal status of women in society, the different roles that each unique nation’s women played, and the possible education permitted and occupations available to these women will be discussed, as well as, their domestic atmospheres will be critically compared in this short essay to demonstrate the different treatment (if there were a difference) of women in both these imposing periods of ancient history.
