Gender Inequality in the Ancient World - 1771 Words

Francesca Succi Dr. Brown Western Civ I 18 September 2012 Gender Inequality in the Ancient World Throughout history, women have been regarded as unequal and subordinate to men. In the male-dominated Western culture, the issue of women’s rights seems unending; even thousands of years after the first evidence of gender inequality, society has yet to even the playing field. Although it seems like our culture is progressive, we still share many qualities with the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Greece. Women were in no way equal to men during these ancient times; in fact, in some areas, they were considered subservient to men, with no rights or privileges. However, there were some areas of Ancient Greece that had a different model†¦show more content†¦Women were believed to be irrational, fearful, and ruled by physical desires. One reason why women were kept secluded at home is that they were thought liable to sexual seduction (or other mischief) if they ventured out unescorted (Sacks â€Å"Greece†). Women were predominately seen as mothers – they would be married off at a very young age, begin bearing children as soon as possible, and consequently died much younger than men, often during childbirth. Women were taught not to speak unless spoken to, and were required to tag along beside their husbands the rare times they were ever permitted to leave the house. Although Athens was the birthplace of democracy and was one of the most progressive cities in history, they still stripped women of some of the most basic equality rights (Brown, Lecture, 2012). Athenian culture perpetuated the gender stereotypes that began in Mesopotamia and exaggerated them to ostracize women in society more than the Mesopotamians or Lacedaemonians ever did. Women and men were separated not only in their social roles and responsibilities, but also in their legal rights and punishments. In Mesopotamia, citizens were under the command of Hammurabi’s code. Although this code was harsh in general , it is important not to compare the laws and punishments to modern or post-modern practices, but instead to compare Mesopotamian legal treatment ofShow MoreRelatedGender Equality719 Words   |  3 Pages What is gender equality inequality? An easy question to answer really. Gender equality means that both men women have the same opportunities rights, but gender inequality is different. Gender inequality is when men women don’t have the same opportunities or rights. Back in Ancient Egypt/Greek 1960s society, there was gender inequality. Ancient Egypt Greek society, women were just seen as object, made to be slaves. 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