Discuss the role played by Spartan Women in their society
The role of women is one of the most controversial issues in existence. During the 20th century mankind has seen the role of women changing from one of “nesting mothers” as was the case in Nazi Germany to one of the most influential parts of society today. In ancient Greece the predominant role of women was to revolve around house duties and to be beautiful objects. However this was not the case in ancient Sparta. Here women were somewhat emancipated and free to socialise and exercise like their male counterparts. The role of these superior women was to ultimately bear healthy children, create indoctrinated offspring and create the future warriors of Sparta. However some controversy has arisen as to whether or not these women had influence over the political life of the Spartan polis and therefore a degree of power. Women also appear to have played a role in the economy in some areas. These roles can be seen in fields such as education, government, the economy and to a lesser extent religion. It should also be noted that these areas intertwine with the syllabus points being the role of Spartan women, the role of the family as well as social structure and organisation.
In ancient Sparta women were seen not only as strong members of the community but also prospective mothers of the polis. In regards to this the main role for Spartan women was to raise strong, healthy, indoctrinated children, and in the case of males, future fearless warriors. This is evident in the case of education. Unlike Spartan boys who went away to military barracks at the age of seven and remained there until they turned thirty, Spartan girls were educated at home. In spite of this they were not taught to spin and weave like their sisters in Athens as the lawgiver Lycurgus indicates that, "slave girls were quite capable of making clothes". Therefore their education took on a different role, this being physical and strenuous...