Livy seemed a little back and forth about the whole ordeal.
She at times seemed to side with the women who "dared seek a higher
position," but other times, she criticized them for their efforts. Despite
this, Rome seems like a good place to be alive during the Classical Era. In
Greece, men--husbands--went out alone and would party in the amphitheaters and
see plays and performances, all without their wives. In fact, they would leave
the wives at home to go have an affair for the night, and the wives could do
nothing about it. In Rome, while women weren't necessarily given equal rights,
they have privileges the Grecian women did not. For example, the Roman women
were allowed to accompany their husbands out of the house. They could
participate in social gatherings and have a say, even if it had no worth. Yes,
they had little added advantages, but they were bold enough to keep asking for
more. Even if they were asking other women's husbands (which is indeed a bold
move), they were trying to make a change for their fellow Roman women.
It's funny, because Roman woman had very few rights, but
they were...revered. Not idolized, but slightly respected. Woman in China led a
very different life. The woman were respected to an aesthetic extent, but that
was the only extent. They were not treated well. They were not respected nor
cherished like males were; they had no choice in marriage, politics, or
personal decisions, and they were only used for purposes like childbearing. The
respectable housewives were stuck at home all day. The women who weren't
respected in high society, ironically, were respected in a different sense
because they were the emperor's concubines. They were more well-known than any
wise, creative, or brave women. In short, women in China were used and I would
hate that.
Despite this, I think
the question of which location I would want to live in this time period can't be
applied as it once may have. Life is so different today than it was back then
that there is hardly an adequate comparison. Of course, women today still don't
have equal rights despite many movements and laws (women of the same education
and class and race as men won't be paid the same amount as men in the same job,
etc.), but they are allowed to be seen out of the house, they have more purpose
in life than getting married to produce posterity, and they can take an active
role in daily life. They can participate in politics and careers and make their
own decisions. Women in the Classical Era rarely experienced that sort of
liberation, so if I had to choose a time to live in, it would be now; however,
if I had to choose a place to live in back then, it would be Rome.
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