Write a note on gender roles …

Gender Roles in Roman Empire

1.One of the more modern features of Roman society was the widespreadprevalence of the nuclear family. Adult sons did not live with theirfamilies, and it was exceptional for adult brothers to share a commonhousehold. On the other hand, slaves were included in the family.

2.The typical form of marriage was one where the wife did nottransfer to her husband’s authority but retained full rights in theproperty of her father’s family. While the woman’s dowry went to thehusband for the duration of the marriage, the woman remained aprimary heir of her father and became an independent property owneron her father’s death.

3.Marriageswere generally arranged, and there is no doubt that women were oftensubject to domination by their husbands.Whereas males married intheir late twenties or early thirties, women were married off in the lateteens or early twenties, so there was an age gap between husband andwife and this would have encouraged a certain inequality.

4.Divorce was relatively easy andneeded no more than a notice of intent to dissolve the marriage byeither husband or wife. On the other hand,Augustine, the great Catholicbishop, tells us that hismother was regularly beaten by his father and that most other wivesin the small town where he grew up had similar bruises to show!

5. Finally, fathers had substantial legal control over their children –sometimes to a shocking degree, for example, a legal power of life anddeath in exposing unwanted children, by leaving them out in the coldto die.