2006-11-27 20:05:04 · 3 answers · asked by saigetsu 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Read "The First Man in Rome" by Colleen McCollough. It is one of the best novels on Republican Rome and explains that & many other things.
2006-11-27 22:18:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Roman men had legal rights over his wife. He had the right to divorce her (on any grounds) whenever he wanted to. She would be left with nothing (except her dowry).
A Roman husband could beat and even kill his wife if she was unfaithful, for example.
A Roman wife was expected to be the perfect matron and the perfect mother. Take care of the household and raise the children. They had no other use in Roman society.
Roman women were NOT citizens and could not become citizens. They could not vote and could not become senators.
The Roman world was male-based, no doubt about it.
2006-11-28 00:25:22 · answer #2 · answered by sirtitus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically, that women were very much second class citizens with little or no rights. They had no rights, for example, over their children and, indeed, whether or not they would have children. A good resumé is on the source I quote.
2006-11-27 22:23:12 · answer #3 · answered by rdenig_male 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋