Ch 3

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Gender Roles in Greece
Women in Athens did not participate in politics, and their primary role was to bear children. Xenophon qualifies this statement with the fact that women have greater affection and can also nourish babies with their breast milk CITATION Spi13 p 84 l 2057 (Spielvogel 84). The role of the woman is confined to indoor activities and management of the household.
In Sparta, the women had greater roles in the homes since their husbands spent more time in the military camps. These women were even allowed to own land. They were expected to bear strong, healthy children and encourage the Spartan ideal of fighting for one’s country. To this end, physical fitness was a state requirement for the Spartan women CITATION Spi13 p 84 l 2057 (Spielvogel 84).
Athenian and Spartan roles of women differed slightly. The Athenian women did not have to engage in the physical exertion that the Spartan women had to endure to become robust. The Spartan ladies, on the other hand, delegated the role of household chores to the slaves. This situation is unlike that of the Athenian ladies who were responsible for either the execution or supervision of such duties. Spartan women were entitled to property unlike their Athenian counterparts CITATION Spi13 p 84 l 2057 (Spielvogel 84).
The core role of women in both civilizations was the same. For both Spartan and Athenian women, their greatest role was to bear children.
The natural attributes of the sexes dictated the designation of functions in Greece.

Strength and endurance were the standard male attributes that qualified men for physical activity and their conscription into the Greek armies. The role of the man became to defend the country and the family. Women were endowed with the capacity to bear children and feed them. Their greatest role became to bear children. Their disadvantage at enduring outdoor tasks qualified women for indoor responsibilities.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Spielvogel, Jackson J. “The Civilization of the Greeks.” Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2013. 53-87. Print.