Roman Woman

In the study of antiquity, and as we have seen throughout the reading of the texts in class, women are oft not as written about than their male counterparts. 


The question of contention is whether or not Roman women were victims of their era, or powerful members of their society.


The Roman matron was a strong symbol of how much power the woman had in Rome, even if educationally, they were left out to dry. They could be independent of their husbands if they bore 3 or 4 children, dependent on their status. This shows both that women were subject to laws of the time period and restricted by them, and that they could advance their well-being in a semi-fair manner. 


We see this in many other fair laws in Rome, but we also see the 'victim of society' side of these laws in those regarding adultery and divorce. We see adulterous relationships, courtesans, and prostitutes come in between a married man and his wife, but women are not allowed any of this. 


With these two examples, it is fair to say that in looking at women's liberties, we see that they are strong examples of women being powerful members of their society, and in the injustices, we see them sub par to men.