Ancient Athenian democracy is often considered the forerunner to modern democracies in the west. Built upon the concepts of equality and liberty, Athenian democracy was a radical break from the oligarchic styles of government that dominated the Classical age of Greece. However, for all its supposed equality, two notable groups of people were excluded from participating in democratic government. Women and slaves were still second class in the eyes of the Athenian democracy. They possessed no political rights and were considered the property of their guardians and owners, respectively. However, both of these groups were very important to Greek society as a whole. In his essay Women and Slaves in Democracy, Michael Jameson explores the ancient
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These essays provide an insight into the position of women and slaves in the Athenian democratic system and illuminate the effects they had on society. Michael Jameson, in his discussion on ancient viewpoints of democracy, claims that both Aristotle and Plato linked democracy with the development of freedom for women and slaves, yet feels that these connections are relatively unfounded. Jameson states that Aristotle and Plato viewed this as a dangerous development which threatened the basic tenets of Greek society. Women and slaves had a very clear position in Athenian society, and a political system of democracy, which fostered ideals of liberty and equality, could lead to the possibility of them obtaining rights which were normally reserved for free-born male citizens. Jameson, through his reading of Plato and Aristotle, identifies three main issues that critics claimed were detrimental to the concept and existence of the polis. The first of these was the distinction between free men and slaves. According to the critics of Athenian democracy, a boundary must exist between free men and slaves, and the core principles of democracy were slowly …show more content…
Women in ancient Athens were expected to be dutiful home-makers who also took part in religious festivals as necessary. They were generally not expected to work or do anything that might violate the ideal of a proper Athenian woman, though with the lower classes in particular, this was not always the case. Therefore, their exclusion from political rights seems to be a straightforward situation. However, Katz argues that even the ancient Greeks did not take women’s exclusion for granted (Katz 300). Katz feels that dismissing women’s exclusion from political rights because of the notion that the difference between genders is irrelevant prevents a proper understanding of Athenian democracy (Katz 306). She does note that the concept of women’s rights is thoroughly modern, and women were not given full political rights until the 1920’s. However, if the ancient Greeks were able to realize that excluding women had some kind of effect, there is no reason for modern scholarship to pass over the matter as though the case has been settled. Katz reports that similar to their ideas on slaves, Plato and Aristotle attempt to justify women’s exclusion from the political stage. This indicates that the Greeks did see some
These essays provide an insight into the position of women and slaves in the Athenian democratic system and illuminate the effects they had on society. Michael Jameson, in his discussion on ancient viewpoints of democracy, claims that both Aristotle and Plato linked democracy with the development of freedom for women and slaves, yet feels that these connections are relatively unfounded. Jameson states that Aristotle and Plato viewed this as a dangerous development which threatened the basic tenets of Greek society. Women and slaves had a very clear position in Athenian society, and a political system of democracy, which fostered ideals of liberty and equality, could lead to the possibility of them obtaining rights which were normally reserved for free-born male citizens. Jameson, through his reading of Plato and Aristotle, identifies three main issues that critics claimed were detrimental to the concept and existence of the polis. The first of these was the distinction between free men and slaves. According to the critics of Athenian democracy, a boundary must exist between free men and slaves, and the core principles of democracy were slowly …show more content…
Women in ancient Athens were expected to be dutiful home-makers who also took part in religious festivals as necessary. They were generally not expected to work or do anything that might violate the ideal of a proper Athenian woman, though with the lower classes in particular, this was not always the case. Therefore, their exclusion from political rights seems to be a straightforward situation. However, Katz argues that even the ancient Greeks did not take women’s exclusion for granted (Katz 300). Katz feels that dismissing women’s exclusion from political rights because of the notion that the difference between genders is irrelevant prevents a proper understanding of Athenian democracy (Katz 306). She does note that the concept of women’s rights is thoroughly modern, and women were not given full political rights until the 1920’s. However, if the ancient Greeks were able to realize that excluding women had some kind of effect, there is no reason for modern scholarship to pass over the matter as though the case has been settled. Katz reports that similar to their ideas on slaves, Plato and Aristotle attempt to justify women’s exclusion from the political stage. This indicates that the Greeks did see some