Roman Women's Rights Essay

652 Words3 Pages

Contrary to popular beliefs, the women of ancient Rome had more autonomy than believed. In fact, “Roman women of all classes had much greater personal freedom than women in other parts of the Mediterranean”. Unlike the Greek women, they had “private” rights such as the right to owning/selling a property in her own name, suing for a divorce and the right to make a will or be beneficiary in a will. Which, compared to women's rights today, this is hardly a dent. The women belonged to the “pater familias” (head of the household or father) and needed their permission to do business. This also meant that in the case of a divorce, the children would belong to the father, not the mother.

Throughout history, we have learned that women never had many rights, whether it was during ancient Rome, the Renaissance, or Modern times. Women never played a big role in any politics or other social practices, which is unethical and petty. Sadly, it is only in these past 40-50 years that we’ve noticed women have taken charge and started to fight for their rights to …show more content…

I think that I am also an independent person and I wouldn’t be able to listen to my husband telling me what I can and/or cannot do. I would struggle with the fact that I wouldn’t have freedom of speech or the liberty to roam freely.

I believe that a woman's daily life in ancient Rome and the woman’s life today have many differences but some similarities as well. In both eras, they have very important roles in their household and in taking care of the family. Furthermore, having a man deciding everything you do is very demonetizing but life in that time was very different and they did not know what we know today. Obviously, women from ancient Rome did not have all the rights that women have today, but it influentially marked future societies to create the one that we live in

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