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Women in Golden Age of Athens - Coggle Diagram
Women in Golden Age of Athens
social position (three classes determining their freedom and rights
hetaeras
sexual companions of men, paid to do them sexual favors, not respected, nor seen as human beings, (included female slaves without any rights)
prostitutes
wives
considered part of the new family once the firstborn arrived
males' perspective
depicted as animals
seen as sexual beings unable to control their sexual urges - distractions
believed to be the forces of chaos
therefore rights for their own benefit were restricted
Marriage
married at the age of 14 to a men twice their age usually
met with husband only few times before the ceremony
controlled by men at every stage of their lives
the women was normally virgin, the men not
women who managed to leave a public legacy
Penelope, wife of Odysseus
her virtues, values, roles were standards aspired by women at that time
outsmarts suitors wanting to take Odysseus' place thinking he was dead
able to stand on her own feet
a partner with her husband, in charge of the household in his absence (equal relatinship)
Aspasia, daughter of Axiochus
highly educated and attractive
intelligent and excellent debating skills
contributed in creating the enlightened attitude of the most influential citizens of Athens
Hypatia, daughter of Theon of Alexandria
mathematician and astronomer
head of the Platonist school at Alexandria lecturing on mathematics, astronomy and philosophy with students from all over the ancient world
religious and political leaders asked for her advice
roles
they had an important role in Panatheneia, annual festival for Athena, or in other religious rituals, sacrifices, rituals
to bear children, preferably male, so infanticide of girls was common
to run the household, including caring for its members' health, supervising slaves, ensuring sufficient food
not educated but domestic skills were taught by mothers to be able to run the household, unlike boys that had formal and physical education for participation in politics and military service
divorce
husband. wife or the wife's closest male relative could legally initiate a divorce
after divorce the husband had to return the dowry or pay 18 percent interest to allow her to remarry
if the woman committed adultery, the husband was required to divorce her
the daughter of a man with no heirs would divorce to marry her nearest relative (epikleros)
very strong ideology of separation, requiring women to be apart from men
e. g..women ashamed to be in the presence of their male relatives to show they were respectable
the ideology was respected only in wealthy families as women in poor families were forced to go out in order to fetch water from the well or wash clothing
the house's door was considered the boundary between adn and women
however, it's expected that also women of wealthy families would have probably interacted with other women outside, and with men in rituals or festivals
Young women
expected to marry as virgins
father chose the husband and organised the dowry
married at 13/14
all women expected to marry -> no role in society for ‘single mature females’
many died at childbirth
young girls
female babies had a higher risk of being abandoned as babies
were educated at school - reading, writing, mathematics
ultimate goal of a young girl’s education = preparation for having a family
didn’t want to stimulate intellectual development
GENERAL OVERVIEW
VERY few rights in comparison to male citizens
were not able to vote, own land or inherit
PLACE: in the home (no public life)
PURPOSE: the bearing of children and rearing a family
Aristotle: women intellectually incapable of making important decisions
women had to stay in their homes because to make sure that they could not have a relationship with men that are not athenian, since women needed to give birth to only male athenian citizens, who could vote