Women in ancient Rome

The lives of women in ancient Rome differed greatly between period and class. Lower- class women had very few rights and very little opportunity. In general, they would work hard to keep their home and family together and well-looked after. If their husbands owned a business, such as a shop, they could help run it as well. As a woman’s status or wealth increased, so did her freedom and ability to become educated. As with the women in ancient Greece, the lives of Roman women rested largely on how their fathers and husbands treated them. Women, as well as children, slaves or any other members of the household, were under the power of the male heads of the household; this is referred to as the patria potestas (potestas means power, patria means father). Until marriage, this rested with their fathers and then, usually, with their husbands. Throughout the history of Rome, women were never allowed to run for public office, although they could give their husbands advice. Whether or not women were educated was also up to their male guardians to decide. One way that women held control was through their dowries.

One of the main reasons that lower-class women held little rights in their marriages is due to the fact that their families could not afford a large dowry. Upper-class women were given large amounts of money or lands for their dowries and their husbands had to have their permission before spending or selling it. In the case of a divorce, which was a very simple process, a husband had to return the full amount of the original dowry, even if he had already spent part of it. Either the husband or the wife could initiate a divorce. This gave women some protection from men who would marry for money and then divorce their wives. Proper family ties were very important to the Romans. Affairs were considered extremely serious offences and, under the emperor Augustus, it was illegal for a man to remain with an adulterous wife. This was due to the fact that so much of Roman class, wealth and honour were hereditary and would pass down to sons after the deaths of their fathers.

Proper Roman women were rarely seen outside of the house and they were not encouraged to participate in public events, other than religious festivals. In the Colosseum, for example, women were only allowed in the very highest rows, which were otherwise reserved for slaves, and it would have been disgraceful for them to be seen there. There were, however, several female professions to which exceptions applied. Courtesans and female entertainers, referred to in Rome and Greece as hetaerae, were often well educated, could play musical instruments and were permitted entry into many areas that other women were not; e.g., they could attend symposia, all male drinking parties, where they would talk and entertain the attendees. Most of these women would have been foreigners, however, and never from the upper classes. For these classes, the most powerful position for a woman to attain on her own would have been that of a Vestal Virgin. Vestal Virgins were the head priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. They lived in the temple of Vesta, where they kept a great fire going—the hearth of the city and the symbolic heart of Rome. They lived with the other priestesses and were not under the patria potestas. They could own property, write their own wills and even vote. They would serve for a minimum of 30 years, for which time they were forbidden from marrying. After this, they could leave and get married, but many chose to continue in their role. The Vestal Virgins had their own box near the emperor in the Colosseum, and to harm one was considered sacrosanct, an act against the gods. Their word was considered true without question and they could pardon anybody from a death sentence by touching them. A person on their way to execution would also be pardoned if a Vestal Virgin crossed their path en route. Other priestesses could attain some power, e.g., Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, but not to the same extent as the Vestal Virgins.

Women in ancient Rome could be taken care of and educated well, as long as their families were able to provide for them. There were even positions that would allow a fair amount of independence; however, for the vast majority of Roman women, and the Roman population in general, this was not the case.