Women's Roles in Roman Society and Literature

Women in ancient Rome played very different roles then the men did."Matrona" or women were given very few liberties, and were only permitted to leave the "oikos" or house for a special occasion, or under supervision. Some of the less wealthy families abandoned the burden of having a baby girl at birth, and were sometimes sold to the wealthy as slaves. Even Emperor Augustus impeded the advancements of women's rights by introducing new laws …

…treated unfairly and deep down I believe that most people would agree with that, but at this time it seemed like an impossible mission that was inevitably conquered hundreds of years later. Bibliography: Plutarch. Lives. 1 ed. New York: The Modern Library, 1992. Plutarch. Lives. 2 ed. New York: The Modern Library, 1992. Balsdon, J.P.V.D. Romen Women. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1962. Kleiner, Diana E.E. Women in Roman Art and Society. 2 ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000.