It is widely accepted that in ancient Greek times a wife was expected to obey her husband and never act independently except within their oikos. There she was responsible for preparing food, raising children, and producing clothes. Women owned little or no real estate and in most cities they were limited to very trivial financial transactions and were denied access to the legal system. (Morris and Powell pg.28) Even the early female poet Sappho had a very male centric view in her poems instead of her own view. Some sources represented women as an evil influence and viewed them as a separate species. This misogyny was a theme present in much of Greek culture. In one story it is said that Zeus created a dreaded race of women to punish men. (pg.29) The Greek writer Xenophon doesn’t necessarily view women as a punishment for men, but instead thinks that the gods made men more superior to women, tougher, more disciplined, and more suited for an outdoor lifestyle. While women were viewed as lesser people, when married it was considered a joint venture where the man and woman had to come together to make the best choices. A husband could educate his wife so that her contribution would be up to par with his own. (pg.34) A woman’s main job was to bare children for her husband and their household. Most women would remain pregnant throughout their entire life. Men were allowed to have sex outside of marriage, but if a woman was found to have an out of marriage affair she would be punished, having a little chance of finding a new husband would be disgraced and live the rest of her life in poverty. (pg.35&37). Women were looked at as simply a person to take care of the household, the children, and her husband. It was unspeakable for the Greeks and most cultures to think of the women as having intelligence or being able to have their own viewpoints on society and
It is widely accepted that in ancient Greek times a wife was expected to obey her husband and never act independently except within their oikos. There she was responsible for preparing food, raising children, and producing clothes. Women owned little or no real estate and in most cities they were limited to very trivial financial transactions and were denied access to the legal system. (Morris and Powell pg.28) Even the early female poet Sappho had a very male centric view in her poems instead of her own view. Some sources represented women as an evil influence and viewed them as a separate species. This misogyny was a theme present in much of Greek culture. In one story it is said that Zeus created a dreaded race of women to punish men. (pg.29) The Greek writer Xenophon doesn’t necessarily view women as a punishment for men, but instead thinks that the gods made men more superior to women, tougher, more disciplined, and more suited for an outdoor lifestyle. While women were viewed as lesser people, when married it was considered a joint venture where the man and woman had to come together to make the best choices. A husband could educate his wife so that her contribution would be up to par with his own. (pg.34) A woman’s main job was to bare children for her husband and their household. Most women would remain pregnant throughout their entire life. Men were allowed to have sex outside of marriage, but if a woman was found to have an out of marriage affair she would be punished, having a little chance of finding a new husband would be disgraced and live the rest of her life in poverty. (pg.35&37). Women were looked at as simply a person to take care of the household, the children, and her husband. It was unspeakable for the Greeks and most cultures to think of the women as having intelligence or being able to have their own viewpoints on society and