Mesopotamia Women Essay

Mesopotamia women started out equal to men, but as time pasted and Mesopotamia moved into a patriarchal society the man became more powerful. Men and women in most ancient societies were not equal to men, nor did they have many rights. Women were powerless. The man was the ruler and the woman was the slave. A strict definition was given of Mesopotamia women. Women were property. Women were not individuals; they were a belonging to the man of the house. A woman was seen as the father’s daughter or the husband’s wife, not just a woman. Starting from a young age, women were trained to clean and cook for the men. Women’s work consisted of cooking, cleaning, making clothes, and learning to make drinks. Women especially learned to make beer for …show more content…
Being a woman in a man’s world meant being portrayed as a servant or a sexual being for the man. At the age of puberty, women could be married off into their arranged husband’s family. Women could be betrothed to one man, but could be passed to another male relative if an unforeseen death occurred. The groom’s brother or next male relative was the next in line, but ultimately the groom’s father decides her fate of who she will marry. All women, whether rich or poor, were expected to be nurturing mothers and provide childcare for the children. If the woman could not provide the man with a descendant, you were responsible of finding a concubine for the man. The man could have a second wife or many women as slaves to help fulfill his sexual pleasure or to help his wife with the children. After the marriage, the man defined the social status. Depending on the social status of the man, women had more freedom when they were on the higher end of the social ladder. Having a powerful husband gave the woman could choose to have statues of themselves and have them placed in shrines. The statues gave the women a symbol of