Were Spartan Women Liberated - Term Paper Example

Spartan Women s Topic: Were Spartan Women Liberated? “Again, the license of the Lacedaemonian women defeats the intention of the Spartan constitution, and is adverse to the happiness of the state…” – Aristotle1 Introduction: Sparta has been the focus of discussion for woman rights liberation by many different scholars at different points in time. One side of the scholarship, after much argumentation and rigorous debate over the issue, has settled over the conclusion that Spartan women had been the champions in challenging the status quo of the Greece patriarchy. The other side however deems this conclusion as a fallacious one as they argue that Spartan woman were never liberated, as there were altruistic motives of the polity behind the change in laws, also some rituals and practices are questionable with regard to the concept of woman liberation. This paper aims to analyze the historical, social and economic perspectives of Spartan rituals, practices and laws to prove that apparently the Spartan woman seems to have achieved a significant level of accomplishment maintaining their status equal if not higher to that of men, but a closer scrutiny of the same laws and other coherent practices imply that a woman`s status in Sparta is not a reflection of modernization but a reflection of the need of that time. Nonetheless some of the practices reveal the iniquitous practices imposed on woman even in the age of Spartan woman enlightenment. The paper will be divided into three sections, the first section will address the prevalent conditions of Sparta in that century and the apparent socio-political system dominating the state`s apparatus during that era, the second section will deal with various laws favoring woman which were enacted at that time along with a critical analysis of all those laws per se, and the third section will aim at analyzing the dire criticism woman enlightenment has to face in the context of downfall of Sparta. Victory over Messenia and its Impacts Sparta was the Greek city state of Peloponnesus which was created as an attempt to formulate a Hellenic society with a strong virtue. The historic moment that led to a drastic change in the constitution of this state was its victory over a small territory named Messenia. The ulterior motives behind the conquest for this territory are still unknown, as Cartledge (1981) puts it, but the results were definitely very productive. There were two major milestones that were achieved by Spartans at that time; firstly, they acquired a highly fertile piece of land suitable for agricultural practices and, the second achievement was a hold over an incarcerated labor force which was attained as a result of enslavement (Hanssen 2007). Thus, now it becomes crucial to analyze the social and political implications of war and attainment of the resulting piece of land which was rewarded to the Spartans after the triumph over the Messenians. Now, that Spartans had a fertile piece of land, also the labor to work on the land to procure economic prosperity, they had to mould their economic and political systems accordingly. Hanssen (2007) is being only fair when he points out that Spartans were always suspicious and apprehensive of the Messenians trying to rebel and fight back in an effort to acquire the lost piece of land back. For this reason, the Spartans now needed a much better and a trained military to keep the Spartans from fighting back. Consequently, now the state made it obligatory for every male to attend military training, which will be elaborated on later. Secondly, Hanssen (2007) also argues that after winning captive labor as their Messenian victory, Spartan men were no longer required to expend their physical energies on agricultural activities, as the enslaved labor was fully allocated to carry this job. This energy was therefore funneled towards the military training instead as the main motive of the state now was to strengthen the army to the maximum extent possible. Furthermore, Hanssen (2007) also mentions the significance of the captive labor in being a replacement for the domestic chores that were originally being carried out by the woman in the house. These developments led towards formulation of a revised constitution named as “Laws of Lycurgus” also being referred to as “Lycurgan reforms”2. These reforms need to be understood and analyzed in the light of the argument at hand. Modifications in the Spartan Constitution and Spartan Woman Liberation The factors stated above are clearly coherent with the fact that the socio-economic changes in the Spartan way of life demanded institutional changes as well; otherwise the system would have collapsed. It would be quite irrelevant and out of context to point out woman`s role or contribution or even a slight inclination towards progression leading to woman empowerment as there is no substantial evidence to assume this proposition. Thus, even if the constitutional changes in any way led to the prescription of a higher status to women, it is apparent enough that it was only out of the changes in the Spartan way of life owning to the captive labor and the attainment of a fertile piece of land. Evidence suggests that following modifications were made to the Spartan constitution with regard to the liberation of Spartan women. Spartan Women`s Stronghold in Domestic Issues Spartan woman were very independent and strong individuals, with a considerable sense of freedom, when it comes to dealing with domestic issues. They were the sole decision makers of the house, they had the responsibility to raise Spartan girls and look after the fields. Spartan woman weren`t ordinary stay at home wives, in fact they had an active role to play in the economy of Sparta as the Spartan land was solely being taken care of by the Spartan woman. They were vocal about their opinions and took sound decisions for the family, without any restriction of norms and social standards (Cart ledge 1981). In this context, understanding the institution of agoge becomes important, which is an institution especially conceived for the military training of the boys which was compulsory for all males passing a certain age. As soon as the boys turned 7, they were entailed to leave their houses to join the agoge where proper training was initiated. Until they get married, they were required to stay with the other clan members at the training camps3. Thus, the men spent most of their lives out of the house which leaves women as the only beings left to take all the crucial decisions domestically. Furthermore, patriarchal pattern generally won`t be applied to such a setting. In this case, when champions of Spartan woman progression argue that woman were the sole decision makers of their lives, this would only be a consequence of the obvious. Spartan Women`s Land Ownership The scholars who commend the Spartan woman to have been granted with all the land tend to ignore the reasons behind them doing so. All the scholars claiming to support the argument that Spartan woman were liberated in real put forward the proposition that, none of the states in Greece has ever given land ownership rights to women equivalent to those rights granted to the Spartan woman. By the end of 4th century, 40% of Spartan land was owned by woman (Hanssen 2007). This is according to them a huge milestone which indicates woman empowerment in its true sense. Seeing this from a lens of a liberal, this may stand true. Power is directly proportional to wealth, this is an agreed upon fact by most if not all. Considering this principal, land ownership did lead to strengthening the woman rights and giving much required momentum to their liberation. Spartan women now acquired the right to inherit lands from their forefathers4, also dowry at the time of marriage was also being given in the form of land. Nonetheless, this land stayed in the ownership of woman till she dies. Originally the Spartan women were engaged in weaving to earn a livelihood to support the man of the family. Now, Spartan woman5 weren’t required to carry this job as there was an excess of helot workers now available to be enslaved as servants in the house (Cartledge 2007). Now, woman had no benefit in weaving so these costs were being recovered by working in the fields. A Spartan woman was thus now liberated to the extent that she owned her own property in the state which reflects the elevation of her economic status. However, an unbiased approach will argue only after considering other imperatives as well. If the men of the house expend their time and energies in seeking military skills to protect the lands, someone else will have to look after the lands. The helot workers would have to be managed and guided properly. Woman of the household took this job vivaciously which led to the commencement of land rights to them. Basic psychology would indicate the fact that a human would need an incentive to carry a job effectively. Land ownership rights were the incentives offered to the Spartan woman. A well informed individual will never refer such an incentive as a proclaimed attempt for Spartan women liberation. Spartan Women Education Spartan women were also an exception to woman from all over Greece, as Spartan woman were well educated, and they sought an education almost equal to that of Spartan men. (Cartledge 2007). This is also hugely appraised by advocates supporting Spartans for woman rights as they equate education with self appraisal and confidence, which are the foremost pre-requisites for women liberation. Speaking of confidence, undoubtedly Spartan women learned about cultures and speaking skills as a part of their education, which are addressed to as great attributes. However, as mentioned in the introduction of the paper, Spartan aimed at achieving virtue, i.e. the collective good for the Spartan society. This would be unachievable if the half of the population left after men are gone for military training lack the essential socialization skills6. In the field of education, women excelled in various fields. They learned skills like weaving and knitting participated in different sports like wrestling and aimed at becoming skilled speakers. They were also taught about cultures and values necessary to live a respectful life (Pomeroy 2005). They also learned arts, philosophy and other intellectually stimulating subjects (Cartledge 1981), which are a clear reflection of Spartan women liberation. To shed light on this perspective, however, different aspects of education would be needed to be taken into account. Firstly, while boys used to leave for agoge, girls had the most part of their education at homes with their mothers. This is one of the reasons leading towards homosexuality involving woman older their age as Cartledge (2007) argues. Secondly, unlike men the skills taught to them lacked any kind of physical activity for the most part. The scholars hailing liberation of woman in Sparta deems weaving and knitting as part of an education. Though their argument is also valid in the sense that considering the prevalent situation in Greece, this was still a milestone but in comparison with men, this may not be considered as an achievement. Xenophon and Plutarch acclaims that physical exertions were also a part of their education, but this ought to be complementing their feminine characteristics and encouraging Eugenics. Various sports like wrestling were incorporated under their educational setup to help maintain their physique and enhance fertility rate. Continuing with the above argument, Aristotle has multiple times in his writings indicated the beauty and admiration for the Spartan woman. Their slim physiques, beautiful long hair and fair skin are often appraised. Sports are thus associated with feminism. In certain pieces, Cartledge (2007) mentions that, it is also expressed that woman even compete naked with the men in wrestling matches. Confidence has other measurable variants and vulgarity is not one of them. Woman in Politics and Fall of Sparta Knowledge without evidence is incomplete knowledge, and nowhere in the history of Sparta is the role of woman in taking political decisions mentioned. The foremost argument in the favor of the proposition lies in the inability of woman to vote by virtue of law (Hanssen 2007). It is intrinsically implied that if woman weren`t allowed to vote, they had no say in taking political decisions. Thus, without any basis for arguments, women had no say in politics. The scholarship on the other side of the spectrum argues that it is too impractical to imagine woman having voting rights back in the century as that was the beginning of woman empowerment efforts, but if this is the case, how can woman be held responsible for the downfall of the Sparta. Aristotle mentions, “Even in regard to courage, which is of no use in daily life, and is needed only in war, the influence of the Lacedaemonian women has been most mischievous. The evil showed itself in the Theban invasion, when, unlike the women other cities, they were utterly useless and caused more confusion than the enemy...”7 Thus, Spartan woman are by far blamed for the Spartan downfall, though they technically had no say in the political affairs. The Spartan collapse was a viscous cycle that was an implied consequence of the misjudgment of the Spartan men. Spartan women had a say in economic affairs of the state directly, which was deterrence in the concept of early marriage. Thus, when there will be “modernization”8, an independent woman will get married late. This will lead to less fertility and thus reduction in the number of men in the state. Spartan men were the ones dealing with the polity and all the arrangements of the state apparatus. Men were the ones enacting property rights and allocating hernot men as slaves to assist woman. Thus it was merely their fault that they ignored the long term effects of the change in social norms. It becomes crucial to shed light on some norms that were still unacceptable to anyone having the slightest notion of feminism in their minds. As Cartledge (2007), portrays it, during the time of the marriage, men used to keep their married lives a secret. They used to attend military trainings while secretly meeting their wives. It was only when woman conceived that men became open about their married lives. This is a clear indication of the fact that woman were merely used to give birth otherwise they were of little or no value. Conclusion Thus, the discussion revolves around the same patterns again and again. It is being agreed upon that Spartan woman was liberated to the extent that they learned values and cultures along with the impressions of speech. They also acquired property to the extent that 40% of land was under the ownership of woman until the 4th century. Also, slaves were allocated to facilitate the domestic chores carried out by woman. But these reforms were not a result of desired efforts to empower woman. In fact it was the need of the time. These reforms were merely incorporated to complement the existential economic system, improve fertility of woman and to promote the collective virtue of the Spartan society. Thus, the arguments put forward in the paper manage to prove that the Spartan woman was not liberated in the true sense, which was further proved after the collapse of Sparta when all the reforms were reversed. All reforms were merely cloaks to promote economic prosperity and further empower men. “When someone asked why they [the Spartans] took their girls into public areas unveiled, but their married women veiled, he [Kharillos] said, “Because the girls have to find husbands, and the married women have to keep those who have them!”9 Bibliography Cartledge, Paul. "Spartan Wives: Liberation or Licence?"Classical Quarterly. 31.1 (1981): 84-105. Print. Robert K. Fleck, F. Andrew Hanssen. ""Rulers Ruled by Women", An economic analysis of rise and fall of Women`s rights in Ancient Sparta." Thesis. 2007. Aristotle, “The Politics of Aristotle”,: Book 2, trans. Benjamin Jowett London: Colonial Press, (1900) Aristotle, . Aristotles Ethics and Politics. London: printed for A. Strahan; and T. Cadell jun. and W. Davies, 1797. Internet resource. Plutarch, , and John Dryden. Containing Theseus, Romulus, Lycurgus, Numa, Solon, Poplicola, Themistocles, Camillus. London: Tonson, 1758. Print. Hodkinson, Stephen, and Sarah B. Pomeroy. "Review of Spartan Women." Classical Journal. 100.3 (2005): 312-315. Print Read More