Spartan Gender Roles

Aristotle, a known philosopher, once said “man is by nature superior to the female and so the man should rule and the woman should be ruled”. Which leads to the question, can women and men truly be equal? Looking closely at the interpretation of women and men throughout history, it is clear that many ideas of a woman and man have been passed down, which has become known as traditional gender roles. However, in ancient Sparta such traditional gender roles were not a prominent function in the survival of the state. Instead, the military and the city were the center of every Spartan citizen life. Spartan boys were whipped in training at a young age, while the Spartan women had a reputation of boldness and unrestrain that other Greeks found improper. With that being said, women and men were more equal than other state in Ancient Greece. Yet, only men faced the reality of war while the women are left in the domestic region. …show more content…
The life of a Spartan soldier was with his soldiers. He ate, slept and trained with them. Therefore, women of Sparta had to step in because the men were either away fighting a war or training for one. Female Spartans, thus developed an independent reputation and enjoyed more freedom and power than elsewhere in Ancient Greece. Do not be mistaken, Spartan women were in charge of domestic responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and so forth. The difference, is that Spartan women were able to do other things than solely domestic work. They were good at dancing, reading, singing, riding, running, wrestling and javelin throwing. On the other hand, Spartan women were breeding machines and the purpose was to produce male soldiers that the state needed to defend itself. A mother’s love, therefore, became replaced with a mother’s pride in her son’s bravery in battle and disgust with any sign of