John Hennes
History 311
March 19, 2014
Oppression or Economic/Demographic Necessity?
Ancient Greco-Roman societies are discussed to this day for their amazing accomplishments in the areas of philosophy, architecture and politics. Their imprint on history is something that will likely never be reproduced. Both of these societies are recognized as patriarchal in nature, which means that there were limited opportunities for women in comparison to the western societies of today which will be discussed in Return of the Patriarchy by Phillip Longman. The best way to determine the reasons for the limitations placed on Greek and Roman women is to refer to ancient writings which capture the realities of their lives and times. It can be surmised from these writings that the limitations placed on women was not the result of lack of respect or capability but driven by necessity.
The necessity of a patriarchal society in Greece and Rome was the primary factor in the limitations set on women. Phillip Longman talks about patriarchy in his article Return of Patriarchy describing it as, “a value system that not only requires men to marry but to marry women of proper station…a cultural regime that serves to keep birthrates high among the affluent, while also maximizing parents’ investment in their children…no advanced civilization has yet learned how to endure without it” meaning that the only way that Greece and Rome could have existed for as long as it did was with this system of patriarchy, the foundation of both civilizations (Longman, 58). High fertility rates were pushed into the Greek and Roman cultures because as Longman points out when plants and animals were domesticated people were no longer concerned about overpopulation but lack of population, something integral for the survival of a city (Longman, 62). The best way to make sure that population was continually