Women’s Role in the Home

Women’s Role in the Home

In the home

A Husbands Defence – Once a woman was married she was expected to stay

in the house, though she was allowed out for funerals and the likes.

The wife in the text is referred to as ‘a clever housewife, economical

and exact in her management of everything.’ And she was the ‘best of

women’ until she went out to her mother-in-laws funeral.

How to train a wife – A wife would take charge of the everyday running

of the household. Ischomachus likens his wife to a ‘leader bee,

although she stays within the hive, does not allow the bees to be

lazy, but she sends outside those bees who ought to work outside, and

she knows what each of them brings into the house and receives it….’.

The management of the household was expected to be exact and

economical, this was left up to the wife.

The Case for prosecution in a poisoning trial – There is no mention of

what the stepmother does in the home. This is possibly because women

were almost invisible in daily life.

The Past activities of a Courtesan – From the Neaera court case it

seems that some married women (possibly feigning marriage, as Neaera

and Stephanus were) were ‘prostitutes’. Men thought she was married,

so she was not a typical prostitute. However, if they were caught

committing ‘adultery’ with her the husband could extort them. This

money would be paid rather than being killed by the husband, as was

legal.

Proof of Marriage – In the test it says that the demesmen ‘…chose our

mother to preside at the Thesmophoria along with the wife of Diocles…’

This shows that a wife could be expected to conduct rituals for

ceremonies, and that they wouldn’t have a choice if they were chosen.

(Though it does seem to have been an honour to do this.)

As Mothers

A Husbands Defence – The wife here seems to use her child(ren) as an