How Was Power Distributed? Did Men And Women Have Equal Rights And Responsibilities?
![Picture](/uploads/3/0/8/1/30816357/994161.png?250)
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/rome-balance.asp
This is a graph showing the different positions of power in the Ancient Roman times and the current day in America.
This is a graph showing the different positions of power in the Ancient Roman times and the current day in America.
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.
Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month. However, after the establishment of the Empire, the consuls were merely a figurative representative of Rome’s republican heritage and held very little power and authority, with the Emperor acting as the supreme leader.
Women's rights:
Women in ancient Rome were citizens, but could not run for political office or vote. Roman women had little political freedom in society, but substantial freedom outside of politics, and some were outspoken and took an interest in the politics of their day. The status of a woman would vary from a fish monger with very little money to a woman of great wealth, daughter of a man of rank and/or married to prominent politicians, and those are the women more likely to have left a mark.
Women had full capacity for themselves, but none for others, although some emperors recognized a woman's relationship to her own sons and daughters.
- they had freedom of movement [Greek women for example didn't]
- if they had 3 children or more, they were granted the right to manage their own finances, wealth and property
- though career choices were limited, in the Roman world women were allowed to work in certain jobs [for example, most tavern keepers in Pompeii were women]
- girls were educated alongside the boys and also learned philosophy, history, etc.
- mothers were in charge of their children's education, including the boys
- women could freely attend festivals, banquets, gladiatorial and athletic games, chariot racing, markets and stalls, etc. [Greek women for instance were forbidden to unnecessarily leave the house]
- some women of the nobility had a lot of influence on the political stage, although behind the scenes of course. Such women were for instance those of the first Roman emperors, i.e. the Julio-Claudians. Also the Severan women had a lot of influence and autonomy. Empresses like Theodora, Agrippina the Elder and Livia had enormous influence on the men in their lives, the men who ruled Rome. They also "sponsored" political proteges and favourites for important positions.
Activities:
In ancient Rome, the Pater Familias (the male head of the family) had total power over all other family members. All were subject to his authority, including even grown-up children (boys as well as girls). When the Pater Familias died, adult male children were liberated from authority, but adult female children passed into the guardianship of whoever became the next Pater Familias (normally the oldest son).
Girls in ancient Rome generally married quite young, in their teens, their husbands would be a few years older. If a girl was married with manus, then she passed from the authority of her father into that of her husband. But if she was married without manus, then the Pater Familias of her own family remained her legal guardian,and she remained subject to his authority rather than her husband's. the Emperor Augustus introduced a law called the Law of Three or Four Children, which stated that a free woman who had three children, or a freedwoman who had four children, was totally free of male guardianship. Augustus was worried about the low birthrate in Rome, and hoped that this would encourage women to have more children.
A girl's family would normally provide a dowry (a sum of money) which was to be used for her support. If the couple divorced, the woman's dowry would be returned to her. Both husbands and wives could instigate a divorce. However, if a woman was divorced for adultery, she lost part of her dowry.
Patrician (upper class) Roman men would have a good education, it was thought important for them to be fitted for a role in public life. Roman girls of the upper classes were often well educated, it was considered desirable for women to be literate and cultured, for instance the writer Pliny the Younger praised his young wife for memorising his verses and setting them to music. Boys of the Plebeian class (lower class) might go to school for a few years, but would probably leave at an early age to go to work. Girls were commonly educated at home.
For a Patrician man,becoming a Senator was the greatest ambition. Women did not participate in government, they could not vote or become senators etc. But upper class women were sometimes influential behind the scenes, for example Livia, the wife of the emperor Augusts, was said to have a strong influence on him.
A married woman's main role was to manage her household and raise her children. if she was an upper class woman she would have slaves to do the housework, etc, she would supervies them. In earlier Roman times, upper class women would be expected to spin and weave, but by the time of the Empire they were more likely to leave this to the slaves. Lower class women would be more likely to do their own housework, spinning, etc, though even quite a poor family might be able to afford one slave.
Roman men and women mixed freely socially, they dined together at banquets, and went to the theatre and to chariot races, the games etc (at the games women and men were seated separately).
Both women and men participated in religious ceremonies and festivals. Some cults were exclusively for men or women, the cult of Mithras was only for men, and the cult of the Bona Dea was only for women.
Bathing was an important part of life for most Romans. Both men and women went to the public baths. Some baths had separate bathing sections for men and women, other baths allowed men and women to bathe at different times of day, normally women in the mornings and men in the afternoon. Going to the baths was a social activity, to meet friends as well as to bathe.
Lower class men and women both had to work for a living, and men might be engaged in a variety of different occupations. Men might be in the army, or they might be skilled artisans, or labourers. Lower class women might make a living spinning and weaving, or vending food or other items, or working as servants or children's nurses, or midwives. They might work as entertainers, or as prostitutes.
Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month. However, after the establishment of the Empire, the consuls were merely a figurative representative of Rome’s republican heritage and held very little power and authority, with the Emperor acting as the supreme leader.
Women's rights:
Women in ancient Rome were citizens, but could not run for political office or vote. Roman women had little political freedom in society, but substantial freedom outside of politics, and some were outspoken and took an interest in the politics of their day. The status of a woman would vary from a fish monger with very little money to a woman of great wealth, daughter of a man of rank and/or married to prominent politicians, and those are the women more likely to have left a mark.
Women had full capacity for themselves, but none for others, although some emperors recognized a woman's relationship to her own sons and daughters.
- they had freedom of movement [Greek women for example didn't]
- if they had 3 children or more, they were granted the right to manage their own finances, wealth and property
- though career choices were limited, in the Roman world women were allowed to work in certain jobs [for example, most tavern keepers in Pompeii were women]
- girls were educated alongside the boys and also learned philosophy, history, etc.
- mothers were in charge of their children's education, including the boys
- women could freely attend festivals, banquets, gladiatorial and athletic games, chariot racing, markets and stalls, etc. [Greek women for instance were forbidden to unnecessarily leave the house]
- some women of the nobility had a lot of influence on the political stage, although behind the scenes of course. Such women were for instance those of the first Roman emperors, i.e. the Julio-Claudians. Also the Severan women had a lot of influence and autonomy. Empresses like Theodora, Agrippina the Elder and Livia had enormous influence on the men in their lives, the men who ruled Rome. They also "sponsored" political proteges and favourites for important positions.
Activities:
In ancient Rome, the Pater Familias (the male head of the family) had total power over all other family members. All were subject to his authority, including even grown-up children (boys as well as girls). When the Pater Familias died, adult male children were liberated from authority, but adult female children passed into the guardianship of whoever became the next Pater Familias (normally the oldest son).
Girls in ancient Rome generally married quite young, in their teens, their husbands would be a few years older. If a girl was married with manus, then she passed from the authority of her father into that of her husband. But if she was married without manus, then the Pater Familias of her own family remained her legal guardian,and she remained subject to his authority rather than her husband's. the Emperor Augustus introduced a law called the Law of Three or Four Children, which stated that a free woman who had three children, or a freedwoman who had four children, was totally free of male guardianship. Augustus was worried about the low birthrate in Rome, and hoped that this would encourage women to have more children.
A girl's family would normally provide a dowry (a sum of money) which was to be used for her support. If the couple divorced, the woman's dowry would be returned to her. Both husbands and wives could instigate a divorce. However, if a woman was divorced for adultery, she lost part of her dowry.
Patrician (upper class) Roman men would have a good education, it was thought important for them to be fitted for a role in public life. Roman girls of the upper classes were often well educated, it was considered desirable for women to be literate and cultured, for instance the writer Pliny the Younger praised his young wife for memorising his verses and setting them to music. Boys of the Plebeian class (lower class) might go to school for a few years, but would probably leave at an early age to go to work. Girls were commonly educated at home.
For a Patrician man,becoming a Senator was the greatest ambition. Women did not participate in government, they could not vote or become senators etc. But upper class women were sometimes influential behind the scenes, for example Livia, the wife of the emperor Augusts, was said to have a strong influence on him.
A married woman's main role was to manage her household and raise her children. if she was an upper class woman she would have slaves to do the housework, etc, she would supervies them. In earlier Roman times, upper class women would be expected to spin and weave, but by the time of the Empire they were more likely to leave this to the slaves. Lower class women would be more likely to do their own housework, spinning, etc, though even quite a poor family might be able to afford one slave.
Roman men and women mixed freely socially, they dined together at banquets, and went to the theatre and to chariot races, the games etc (at the games women and men were seated separately).
Both women and men participated in religious ceremonies and festivals. Some cults were exclusively for men or women, the cult of Mithras was only for men, and the cult of the Bona Dea was only for women.
Bathing was an important part of life for most Romans. Both men and women went to the public baths. Some baths had separate bathing sections for men and women, other baths allowed men and women to bathe at different times of day, normally women in the mornings and men in the afternoon. Going to the baths was a social activity, to meet friends as well as to bathe.
Lower class men and women both had to work for a living, and men might be engaged in a variety of different occupations. Men might be in the army, or they might be skilled artisans, or labourers. Lower class women might make a living spinning and weaving, or vending food or other items, or working as servants or children's nurses, or midwives. They might work as entertainers, or as prostitutes.