Women's Role In Ancient Greece

Behind every great man there is a great woman. The woman being the mother and wife of the household, the caretaker and glue that held things together while the man was the “breadwinner”, this was an ideal that held true throughout history only until recent years. In Ancient Greece, women held an obligation to their house and husband, they were property in a sense, but at the same time they almost held an important position of power, only it was hidden behind the veil of the home life. While they were reliant upon their husbands, it can be viewed that it was the females that helped their husbands and sons obtain the positions that they held, for good or bad. The female role of power in Greece varied from slave to queen, the woman’s role was
Analyzing the work of various philosophers and writers, women were viewed as tools of the household, as the glue that held the household. However women were not considered anything outside of that, and were expected to remain in the household and tend to the children. The wives and mothers were at the center of the household, even when the husband was home. The husband would have seniority in the household, but when he was gone, the women were in charge of everything, including the slaves and the children. While the men were gone, the women were meant to follow a stern set of rules in order to avoid being seen with the suspicion and gossiped about by her neighbors. The women of Ancient Greece sought to please their husbands and everything described to be a “good wife”. If they feel that another woman has been unfaithful, even if she simply let her husband’s friend into their house when he isn’t home, the other women will talk and attempt to ruin the reputation of the
Women were also to consider that her husband’s wishes are laws of the house, set down for her by divine will. The husband was always above his wife, and she had to obey to his every whim in order to satisfy his needs as well as maintain her social status. This meant even if the women were busy, they would need to drop everything to care for their husband if he was ill, and acknowledge how well he provided for her and their children. Women were also expected to keep the household clean, as well as tend to the slaves, children, and other tasks. A woman’s place was only in her home. It was believed that a woman’s body was made frail, and should only be kept indoors because it could not survive the grueling challenges that a male’s body could. Women were supposed to remain indoors and send out the servants who worked outside, and look after the ones who were meant to work indoors. These tasks gave women positions where it mattered mostly for respect to behave in the ways that they were told, but it was also the will of the gods. It was believed that the gods wanted the women to behave this way, and the gods laid down these rules so that way if they were followed, the women would have access to a better place in the