Status of Women in Ancient Rome

Women were not citizens of Rome. Only adult free men were citizens. The ancient Roman men believed that a women had to be under a guardianship. That guardianship could be a father or a husband. But they believed a women was unable to direct her own activities. As Cicero once said of early Roman men, 'Our ancestors, in their wisdom, considered that all women, because of their innate weakness, should be under the control of guardians.'  During the 200 years when Rome was a kingdom, a wife was the center of the household. It was her job to take care of her home and family. She taught her daughters how to cook and sew. But women had no rights. A woman could not even make a suggestion to her husband. Her guardian, her husband or father, had complete control over her activities. In most families, women could shop, visit a temple, or chat in public. But she could not participate in government. Few women wanted additional rights.   During the 500 years that Rome was a Republic, women gained no legal freedoms, but women were allowed, in private, to make suggestions about business to their husbands. That was a huge change.  Towards the end of the Republic period, and throughout much of Empire period, a new form of marriage became popular. This marriage allowed a wife to be placed under the control of her family instead of her husband. Typically, her family was more lenient and also further away. While under family control, wealthy women could hire someone to manage their money and land. The manager did what she told him to do. That gave wealthy women a tremendous amount of freedom.  During the 500 years that Rome was an Empire, women gained considerable freedom. Under the Empire, it became legal for women to own land, run businesses, free slaves, make wills, inherit wealth, and get a paid job.  Women were still considered to be under the guardianship of her father or husband.  Drinking wine was part of daily life. In very early days, women were not allowed to drink wine. Their husband might kiss them on the mouth to see if they had been drinking. It sounds sweet, but if a husband believed his wife had been drinking, she could be severely beaten. During the Empire, women could drink wine! Life was very different during the Empire than it was in the days of early Rome. Status of Women Life of the Roman Female (Thinkquest)   See Also: Free PowerPoint Presentations about Ancient Rome Return to Ancient Rome