Ancient Greek Women Essay

Women in Ancient Greece played a more crucial role in day to day life than the ways that they are described. Popular opinion views ancient Greek life as a male-centered culture in which women served a role just to bear children and keep house; however, research shows that women were not as dependent on their partners as they are depicted. Women actually tended to branch off into the public sphere and form their own relationships with other females, which benefited the status of her family (Tétreault; Taylor 704). Women’s collaborative efforts benefited not only their personal life, but also their community as a whole. Women in Ancient Greece played a large role in shaping their family, society, and community by living lives out in the community …show more content…
Ancient life cannot be fully dissected without analyzing the public social dynamics, because these are what shaped the status of a woman’s family and community (Tétreault). The roles of women are often overlooked by many scholars because of the complex nature of their social networks. Men’s relationships were strictly business, while women’s were friendly. These relationships are what built the foundation for life in Greece because they united people of various families (Taylor 711). Women greatly contributed to the success of the family, because their social circles are what bettered the family and community (Minoglou 518).
Women are generally depicted as the weakest link in society because of their seemingly lack of importance, but women are the common factor in almost every social network in the public sector of the ancient world (Tétreault). Women played crucial roles in creating and maintaining these networks; however, they typically aren’t given credit for their accomplishments because they weren’t the ones to benefit from them (Taylor 704). It was usually the community at large or the woman’s family to benefit from her efforts, rather than increasing the status of herself as an