Greek Femininity Research

Gender stereotypes has been around for many decades, and have been passed on from generation to generation. These gender stereotypes play a big role in how people are looked upon in society. The ancient Greeks portrayed masculinity as being brave, strong, powerful, superior to women, and in no way feminine. Some of these male expectations are still maintained in society today. In the book “The Odyssey of Homer” written by Richmond Lattimore, there are many of the male expectations that the ancient Greeks said to be true can be found in this book.

The most important role of women in ancient Greece, especially married women, was considered to be the production of lawful children and the execution if household chores. Also she was required to literally remain inside the home, except she was attending a special event as in those days women found in the streets were either assumed to be enslaved, a harlot, a concubine or a woman who had to find work outside of the home because of poverty (Thompson, par.8). It was also considered respectable for a woman to remain out of sight and audible range when the man of the house had guests.

These two different worlds of conflict are between family devotion and self-realization. There is a strong pressure to obey their parent’s rules, remain a part of the community and to marry well off and bear children. Male Greeks have more freedom then girls. Women remain close to their mothers before and even after marriage (Jugrens, n.d.). Education and a career comes second, and is at times viewed unwomanly. Man are to pursue a higher education. Actually, “The 1990 Census reports that twice as many Greek men as women received university degrees, with significantly proportion of men going on to receive advanced degrees” (Jugrens,

In Plato’s Kallipolis, women are presented with the same opportunities as men pertaining to the workforce and education system. In Plato’s words, there is not much difference other than the fact that “the female bears the offspring while the male mounts the female” (Reeve 143). It is due to this, that the two can share the same pursuits and education. More than often, Greek women were expected to “stay indoors and look after the house, on the grounds that they [were] incapable of [guarding, hunting, and handling other responsibilities that the men held]” (139), as one can infer from

Women in classical Athens could not have had an extremely enjoyable experience, if we rely on literary sources concerning the roles of women within the Greek polis. The so-called Athenian democracy only benefited a fraction of the entire population. At least half of this population was female, yet women seem to have had very little influence and few official civic rights. `The position of women...is a subject which has provoked much controversy.'

Cowan (1990) explores how gender is embodied in the dance rituals of a Greek Wedding, of which dance is a large aspect of the event. Greek Wedding traditions are divided by gender, and maintained across generations by gender (Cowan 1990: 6). The passing down of traditions from elder women and mothers, to younger brides maintains

What do the creator of Facebook, vice president of apple, and every former U.S. president except for three since 1825 have in common? They were all members of a Greek organization while they were in college before they became famous and successful. Because each of you is currently enrolled as a college student, you are now in a unique stage in your life. You have the opportunity to join the ranks and have something in common with those I’ve listed before you. All you have to do is simply go Greek. Today I would like to encourage you to take this opportunity and join a fraternity or sorority in order to better your college experience. I have done research a lot of research on the benefits of Greek organizations and I have also experienced them

We live in a society that wants the best and expects the best. Colleges all across the United States have fraternities and sororities. With such a large group of unique people, some groups have created a negative stigma to Greek life. I personally believe the reason is Greeks behaving poorly cause this or exhibiting weak morals and poor leadership create this. Sigma Chi needs to be the ringleader of Greek row and be an example to the Greek world. At the University of Utah, we have an Order of Omega Chapter that focuses on improving the stigma of Greek life. The Order of Omega has the potential to be the “shinning light” of Greek row. There are so many negative stigmas attached to fraternities and sororities and the University of Utah needs

Another notorious example of same-sex relationships occurs in ancient Greece. Individually, Greek life was based on status, the higher the person was the more personal freedom they carried. In Plato’s Symposium, the reader learns that the higher status males serve as a mentor to younger boys that have yet to reach adulthood. The older male had to prove his intentions were noble, using courtship rituals and gifts, rather than strictly sexual (Pickett). The boys were taught to evolve into diligent citizens in Greek society. Being attracted to men was surprisingly seen as a masculine trait throughout Greece (Pickett). Zeus, and many other Greek Gods, had stories of homosexual escapades associated with them. This also included other major figures

Fast and Furious actress Michelle Rodriguez will go under the knife on Tomboy, A Revenger's Tale. Well, not her specifically, but her male version first. Sigourney Weaver will be slicing Michelle's body parts in this gender swapping thriller.

Greek woman lived in a world where there were strict rules pertaining gender roles. The men were the

The term “old boys’ club” is a predominantly European word meaning “an informal network of rich, Anglo males who retain power and status through closely coveted relationships with other ‘old boys’ and thrive by excluding women and people of color.” Although that term has yet to gain popularity in America, the concept has certainly crossed over. For older generations, a more tamed version of the old boys’ club would be expensive meals held in country clubs and exclusive “city clubs”. For the younger generations, it is called a “fraternity.”

what was expected of the ultimate Greek male (Reeder 1995:20). That being said, this essay

Traditionally, the social structure within Greek society is patriarchal with the most senior male having primary power.

Athenian women were the subjects of bias in day-to-day life. A women’s property was controlled by her father until she entered an arranged marriage, usually at the age of fourteen. Her husband would then “supervise” her and that was because it was “believed that a woman could not act independently”(