The Evolving Roles of Women in the Economies of Greece and Italy Essays

The Evolving Roles of Women in the Economies of Greece and Italy The role of women in Greek and Italian socialization has come a long way since the ancient days. In patriarchal societies, women were restricted to household chores, and were allowed little to no involvement in politics or economic matters. Since these times, major cultural shifts in each of the countries have helped lead the nations to a more western perception of sex roles in their cultures. In the spare-time activity paragraphs, we will see how historical events have shaped the roles of women in Greek and Italian culture into their present form. Women in Greece Creation Myth To set the measure for how women were perceived in ancient Greece, we first turn to the Greek myth of womens creation. In 700 BC, the historian Hesiod wrote his account of their creation is his Theogony. He writes that women were created as a penalisation for men when they first acquired fire. The craftsman god Hephaestus molded the i mage of a Virgin, Athena dressed her up and they presented the lovely curse to the men, for whom she became a hopeless, deadly ambush (Blundell). Hesiod goes on to describe women as deceptive creatures, never easing the pains of mans poverty, just now always eager to share in his wealth. Hesiod further illustrates these traits in the comment of the first woman, Pandora. Opening her jar of curses, she changed the lives of all men, who once lived in an Eden-like world. Women are seen from then on as sort of gift-curse, whose acceptance into society is essential to its continuation, barely inevitably brings trouble (Blundell). Transition Periods Archaic Age 750-500 BC. Tracing back to the archaic age, we find the sources of womens oppression in Ancient... ...tute of Japanese Studies.? Economic & Social data Rankings/Greece? <http//web.hhs.se/personal/suzuki/o-English/Greece.html EIJS.? European Institute of Japanese Studies.? Economic & Social selective information Rankin gs/Greece? <http//web.hhs.se/personal/suzuki/o-English/Italy.html Fantham. Women in the Classical World.? Oxford University Press, New York 1994.IPC.? Interactive Population Center.? Recognizing and Promoting Women?s come upon Economic Roles.? <http//www.unfpa.org/intercenter/role4men/recognize.htm Vivante.? Women?s Roles in Ancient Civilizations.? Greenwood Press, Westport 1999. MacAlister, Elliott. Women?s Roles in the Fisheries. ?? 1997Zhao, Megan.? Women in the Renaissance ??<http//info-center.ccit.arizona.edu/ws/ws200/fall97/grp13/part3.htm 1997 The Evolving Roles of Women in the Economies of Greece and Italy EssaysThe Evolving Roles of Women in the Economies of Greece and Italy The role of women in Greek and Italian culture has come a long way since the ancient days. In patriarchal societies, women were restricted to household chores, and were allowed little to no involvement in politics or economic matters. Since these times, major cultural shifts in each of the countries have helped lead the nations to a more western perception of sex roles in their cultures. In the chase paragraphs, we will see how historical events have shaped the roles of women in Greek and Italian culture into their present form. Women in Greece Creation Myth To set the timber for how women were perceived in ancient Greece, we first turn to the Greek myth of womens creation. In 700 BC, the historian Hesiod wrote his account of their creation is his Theogony. He writes that women were created as a punishment for men when they first acquired fire. The craftsman god Hephaestus molded the image of a Virgin, Athena dressed her up and they presented the lovely curse to the men, for whom she became a hopeless, deadly nail down (Blundell). Hesiod goes on to describe women as deceptive creatures, never easing the pains of mans poverty, but always eager to share in his wealth. Hesiod further illustrates these traits in the description of the first woman, Pand ora. Opening her jar of curses, she changed the lives of all men, who once lived in an Eden-like world. Women are seen from then on as sort of gift-curse, whose acceptance into society is essential to its continuation, but inevitably brings trouble (Blundell). Transition Periods Archaic Age 750-500 BC. Tracing back to the archaic age, we find the sources of womens oppression in Ancient... ...tute of Japanese Studies.? Economic & Social Data Rankings/Greece? <http//web.hhs.se/personal/suzuki/o-English/Greece.html EIJS.? European Institute of Japanese Studies.? Economic & Social Data Rankings/Greece? <http//web.hhs.se/personal/suzuki/o-English/Italy.html Fantham. Women in the Classical World.? Oxford University Press, New York 1994.IPC.? Interactive Population Center.? Recognizing and Promoting Women?s see Economic Roles.? <http//www.unfpa.org/intercenter/role4men/recognize.htm Vivante.? Women?s Roles in Ancient Civilizations.? Greenwood Press, Westport 1999. MacAlister, Elliott. Women?s Roles in the Fisheries. ?? 1997Zhao, Megan.? Women in the Renaissance ??<http//info-center.ccit.arizona.edu/ws/ws200/fall97/grp13/part3.htm 1997