Western Civilization: Robert Spencer Wells, Jr.

Robert Spencer Wells, Jr.

In Western Civilization, it is interesting to note the differences between cultures to try to determine in which time period women had a more advantageous lifestyle. A lot of scholars may argue that the medieval time period had a better lifestyle for women, but take a closer look and see the advantages of the lifestyle of the women in the Roman era. The medieval time period might be thought of as a better time period for women, but the Roman women had a lot more benefits for a better lifestyle.

Women during the medieval period had certain role with their husbands, depending on his social status. The wives were placed into a class according to their husband’s line of work or social status (Time Traveler’s 54). This social status may be favorable, but not all wives were able to make it into the elite social status. Once the woman was committed, and married to her husband, she was totally controlled by her husband. Even though the wife was able to maintain the same social status of the husband, she lost a lot of rights after she married. Women during the medieval period not only lost a lot of their rights, but also became somewhat of a slave to the husband in many ways.

The sexual lifestyle of women during the medieval time period was quite different among married and single women. Medieval women were not accurately informed of their sexual organs due to bad medical research. They thought they must perform sexual acts on a regular basis to preserve themselves. The third-century writer Galen was looked upon as an authority for medical information on sexual activities. Galen stated that, “a woman’s womb was ‘cold’ and needed constant warming by ‘hot’ sperm” (Time Traveler’s 55). One would assume that hu...

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... times when the women simply gathered together to escape the house by attending religious events (Invisible Romans 84). These events would give the women time to visit and keep bonds with other women while having the opportunity to grow in their religious views.

The women of the medieval and the Roman eras both had a struggle with their daily lives. The Roman women had a few more freedoms in their life in comparison to the medieval. It has become obvious that the women of the Roman era had a more social lifestyle in comparison to the medieval. The lifestyle of the Roman women might not have been the absolute best but were a better-quality lifestyle compared to the medieval. Roman women had a more enjoyable and less restricted lifestyle which concludes why they must have had a more desirable lifestyle to live between the two periods.