To begin with, an average woman that was born in Sparta in 500 BCE had fewer restrictions because of her gender than in the rest of Greece. In other words, women “were trained in war, they could speak publicly, and they could own land.” However, the more considerable amount of personal freedom was a cause of the need: Sparta was a military polis, and there was always a necessity for people to prepare for wars. That is why women there were not discriminated against as much as in other places, but they were obliged to participate in military conflicts as well as others.
A woman born in Athens in 400 BCE had fewer opportunities to develop personally and somehow professionally (such as becoming a soldier in Sparta). Women were seen as objects responsible for bearing children and working in households. According to Brooks, “the vast majority of women were in a disempowered social space, regarded as a social necessity that existed to bear children.” Therefore, it would be tough to be born as a woman in Athens in 400 BCE because no one would value you as a person.
Finally, women born in average families in Rome in 200 BCE had various rights, being more or less independent from men: they “retained the ownership of their dowries at marriage, could initiate divorce and controlled their own inheritances.” Moreover, a proper education was desired by both boys and girls. Thus, one can conclude that women born in Rome experienced the highest independence compared to other ancient societies. Therefore, in everyday life, girls used to gain education and then influence husbands’ decisions because of their voices’ significance. However, this state of affairs cannot be called a model because the roles of wives and mothers were ideal for women in Rome at these times.
