Women in Ancient Athens and Rome

In both ancient Athens and ancient Rome, women are decidedly second-class citizens. In Athens, women basically have to stay home. They are not allowed to go out by themselves. They cannot go out to dinner, shop or socialize. They are not allowed to eat with the men even in their own homes. Baby girls are often not wanted and left exposed to die. Boys of wealthy families are educated but girls rarely are. A man can divorce a women for any reason or even for no reason. A woman in Athens has a difficult time getting a divorce—the only acceptable reason is for physical abuse. If a man's wife commits adultery or is barren, he is expected to divorce her.

The women in Rome have it a little better than the Athenian women. They are able to go out and socialize...