What Is The Role Of Women In Ancient Rome

In ancient Rome, men functioned as the heads of their households focused on the well-being and future of their families. First, the father had control over the children. As described in Law I of Table IV of the Twelve Tables, a father had the right of life and death over his son born in lawful marriage, meaning he controlled the very existence of any child born to him. Next, men choose women based on their ability to support the family, which was shown in the epitaph on a Roman wife’s tombstone typical of the day. This epitaph mentioned qualities such as uncompromising support of the woman’s husband and her respectful behavior as he handled business affairs. In this way, the roman man’s dominance over his wife continues to be seen– even in death. Finally, a Roman man was expected to put his family above all else. As demonstrated in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas left Dido so that his son (and Julius Caesar in the future) could rule Italy. This passage shows a sacrifice of Aeneas’ happiness so that his son could achieve greatness and make a name for his family. No matter what wars he waged or accomplishments he …show more content…
Women were to be married off to men that would support them and be able to care for a family. Love wasn’t the primary focus in choosing a partner; rather, a woman was looking for a financially stable man who could father her children, so that the family line would continue. To marry solely out of love would be looked down upon if it meant not marrying into the appropriate social class. A good respectable family would have consisted of a hard-working, business man father, a respectable, stay-at-home, housewife mother, and their children, which were especially good if they were boys. For a woman to marry and not bare children, marry into an unsuitable family, or to not marry at all where all considered inappropriate choices for a women and were highly