Ancient Greek Civilization and Gender Roles

Jenny Rong, Verrazzano Class of 2025, completing major in SLS (1-6)

During my SLS 301 humanities course, I recognized how similar Ancient Greek civilization is related to recent times and culture and how our society had progressed since then. For instance, in the book Greek Tragedy by Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz, I came to realize how mistreated women were during the sixth century BCE, specifically when female characters in Greek tragedies were acted out by males. This was because it was normalized that women stayed at home to take care of her family and only existed in terms of her bonds with men as they did not have any freedom of belonging or independence.

In plays like Oresteia, Oedipus Tyrannus, and Medea, women were disdained, similar to their ancient times and culture where men were superior, as women were displayed as manipulative, unscrupulous, and dishonorable. I thought about today where even now, some women struggle to find gender equality and control of their own reproductive health in several countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Africa.

In the last Greek tragedy play we read, Medea by Euripides, I discovered that even though during the Ancient Greek times households had male heirs in contrast to present time, where most women are respected as the head of the house and have the ability to decide whether they want to stay at home or achieve her own career goals to financially support herself and her family. Thus, women do not need a guardian and/or a male figure in life that would represent her for all legal and financial decisions, unlike the women during Ancient Greek times.

Ultimately, based on Medea’s term philia, a reciprocal relationship of friendship and kinship, it reminded me of my culture where friends and families are tightly bound by ties of affection and oath, and we always help each other out when needed in terms of acceptance. Personally, I am grateful that our society has advanced because women are more included in the community and have the opportunity to conquer their individual challenges and dreams that shape them into a person of their own instead of fitting into social norms. 

 

Greek Tragedies and Modern Day Culture

Erin Westgate,  Verrazzano Class of 2025, completing major in SLS Early Childhood

In my SLS 301 Humanities I class I learned about Greek Tragedies, their culture, and how much of an influence Greek society and culture has had on today’s society.

We have evolved a great deal since then, but one can make clear connections to the past. One of those connections is gender roles. In many of the play’s, women were viewed as emotional and much less worthy than men. A perfect example of this was in the play The Oresteia. Orestes murders his mother in order to get revenge for his father, who was murdered by Orestes’ mother. At his trial, it was revealed that he would get away with the murder of his own mother simply for the fact that she was a woman. He would be free because a man’s life was worth more than a woman’s life.

This scenario would not happen today, but that there are people in today’s society who still view men as superior to women. In ancient Greek culture, women were just meant to marry and have children, and that is still viewed by some people in today’s society. Modern day culture still holds the stigma that some jobs are meant for women and some jobs are meant for men, even though most women today are educated and have successful careers. We have come a long way from this mindset in today’s society, yet I do think there is still room to grow.

Another thing I noticed in ancient cultures was democracy. As many famous Greek Tragedies became popular, so did democracy. During this time, Athenian men believed there was no purpose to life if you were not publicly participating, and there was even a law made stating you must pick a political side or lose citizenship. Politics is a huge part of today’s society, something that is causing a huge divide amongst us, with the feeling that one must pick a side. Many people today are not satisfied until they know your political standing. Politics was a huge part of ancient Greek culture and is still a big part of today’s society.

SLS Major Reflects on Ancient Cultures Course

 Christine Russo, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completing major in SLS Early Education
Taking the first of the SLS humanities courses (301), I learned a great deal about life in the ancient world. There are so many ways that our society has evolved since the time of the Ancient Greeks and if we look closely into how those people existed, we can appreciate all of the progress that has been made. For example, the social structure in the ancient world did not allow women any autonomy. A woman’s only role was to marry young and care for their children. Their entire identities were shaped by the contributions that their husbands made, and they possessed no freedom to create something of themselves. This was apparent through ancient texts like The Odyssey, where the male protagonist was praised for his heroism after fighting in the Trojan War, while his wife was left alone to care for their children. The wife received no credit for the great sacrifice that she made in leaving behind her own identity so that she could honor her husband. While this was a sign of the times, now is a much different time. Now is a time where women are also great philosophers, thinkers, doctors, and educators of our world.

In the year 2020, females in American society have fought to be recognized as equals.  As I take this time to reflect on who I am as a person, I realize I cannot imagine a life where I could not be independent. For instance, I cannot imagine not receiving one of the greatest gifts I have ever been granted in my life, my education. My education allows me to be aware of the world that surrounds me, and it challenges me with every question that I ask. My education gives me a purpose and a goal outside of one day getting married, something that was not always possible. My education is a part of my identity. I hope that as a society we can learn to be grateful and never forget the great sacrifices that women in the past have made so that we could live our lives as we do today. I am thankful to be here, and to learn and continue to grow.