Women In Ancient Greece

In ancient Greece women lived under different circumstances, women were seen as extremely sexual objects. This in part could be due to the fact that one of the most prominent Greek goddess of love, and she was seen as an incredibly sexual woman that many men desired. In contrast to Mesopotamia and Egypt women were not neatly sorted into groups of wives, slaves, prostitutes, or free women. In Greece there were many different classifications of women. The variety and massive amount of sex workers in ancient Athens was monumental. Each one fell into a different class of sex worker and each level demanded a certain level of respect, from the lowly flute girl who was considered to be the lowest form of prostitutes, the high ranking hetaeras. Some hetaeras reached such a high rank that they were able to live on their own in lavish homes, they even got to choose whom they took for lovers. …show more content…
IT was considered a sign of wealth to keep more than one wife. A wife was expected to remain silent and at home, a wife was supposed to take care of the house, give birth, and raise children. Even things such as shopping were the duties of a man, if the women were to leave the house it was for an absolute necessity and they must wear a thick coat. While in Mesopotamia and Egypt women who cheated on their husbands faced the punishment of death, in Greece women had multiple lovers. Male prostitutes were also a commodity, but were nowhere near as numerous as women sex workers. In Hellenistic Greece according to Kagen things seemed to have improved. While women were still considered lower than men, they had more rights than before. A woman's main purpose was still to bare children, and they still hoped for sons. However if a daughters was born she could inherit her father’s property, so longs as she married a relative on her father’s side. Prostitution was still commonplace, and