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Spartan Women Essay

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In the Ancient World, Sparta was the capital of glory and power; A city broadly acknowledged for its committed soldiers and militaristic values and ethos. Taking the latter into consideration an attempt is made to investigate the role of women by delving onto the particulars of their contribution in relation to the extent upon which their behavioral patterns were necessitated by society’s norms. Spartan value system depicted a society deeply authoritarian and hierarchical thus accounting for the need for self-sufficiency and an uncompromising militarism. All of the above would have to be sustained and nurtured by a series of customs, rules and laws that served as the platform upon which these principles were deployed. Women therefore had to simply conform, yet it is surprising how they demonstrated a high level of adoptability creating a special place for themselves, as opposed to women …show more content…
In other words every privilege and autonomy granted, always aimed at serving the existing social framework, in fact it was not seen as a way to emancipate women but as a way to strengthen authoritarian militarism, justifying to an extent the view that women had to sacrifice their femininity in the process. Contrary to the aforementioned, women enjoyed places of authority by managing family affairs, freely exploring marital options mainly for procreation purposes, raising healthy boys, parting from them at an early age, managing the estate, household and family helpers, participating in open and athletic events destined for men. All of the above would have of course to be instilled to their minds and hearts practically from birth and what better way than education and years of

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