The ease of the process that allowed women to gain status was a huge advantage. Marrying a husband of high social standing immediately raised that of the new wife therefore gaining her respect throughout the city as well as the wealth that comes with it. A woman did not raise her status by slowly climbing the social ladder as the men did, she did it by marriage.
Just by simply being female women qualified for participation in many religious festivals and some were even for women only. The festival Thesmophoria that celebrated harvest and the sowing of the winter seeds was exclusive to women as Greeks saw the reproductive cycle of crops and humans as being linked. So as well as offering sacrifices to the gods for a good harvest, the women were also hoping that they themselves would bear sons the following year.
A man could divorce his wife, without reason, at any time in ancient Athens. So why were there not more divorced wives returning home to their fathers? Because, unless the wife had been raped or adulterous, a dowry (paid by the father to the groom of the bride) would have to be returned in full. This meant that wives were protected against divorce by the dowry, as many husbands could not afford to repay it. Although it isn’t a very romantic idea, this is still an advantage even by today’s standards.
However, there was a down side to the dowry. As the actual dowry would rage from girl to girl, many husbands-to-be would choose a wife with the biggest dowry. This led to many unhappy marriages where two completely incompatible people were married and, because of the husband’s reluctance to repay the dowry, would be forced to stay together maybe for the rest of their lives.
Women also had no political rights. They could not vote or go to assemblies and so their views were never voiced to politicians or the public. This meant that women did not have any form of say in the running of the state they lived in which is, of course, a disadvantage.
Women’s social lives were also limited. They were to remain in their house for most of the day and sometimes even confined to their rooms if the husband had male friend visiting. Women could visit other female friend’s houses but even then had to be accompanied by at least one slave. Collecting water at the public fountain gave women the opportunity to talk and so this was a common place for the exchange of gossip.
In conclusion, I think that although there were perks and advantages to living as a citizen woman the cons far outweigh the pros.
By Adam Carter
