Roman Women In The United States And Germany: Male Ideology And Women's Response To The 2nd Century (bc To 2nd Century Ad),

In ancient Rome,under patriarchy,The Men,having been established a systemof rules upon the women,especially the women virtue norms,such as frugality,industry,pudicity,fidelity,modesty,affection,obedience,piety,etc.,dominated theworld,ruling the women.Thus,the women,from the foundation of the city of Rometill late Roman Republic,around the beginning of the 2nd century BC,as a whole,were obliged to observe the rules.From the beginning of the 2^nd century BC to the end of the 2^nd century AD,approximately from the second Punic war to the prior period of the Roman Empire,however,innovation and transformation emerged in Roman society,which exerted agreat influence upon the women,who began to resort to a new way to protest thevirtue norms.They gradually generated self-respect consciousness,self-expressiondesire,and various personalities;who began to persue self happiness and strive forself interest and better status in their marriages and families.Furthermore,theyenergetically attended social activities,accumulated self fortune,affected the politicalaffairs,some of who even challenged the rule of the men utilizing extreme measures.This is also a challenge to the Roman patriarchy,indicating the women at that timebegan to get more and more political,economic,and social rights,and their status hadsubstantially improved,even a symbol of women's liberation.The paper is divided into two parts.The first one,ie.the first chapter,introducedthe construction of women virtue norms under the male ideology.And the second one,mainly discussing the response of the women to the women virtue norms establishedby rnen,includes two parts:the second chapter and the third chapter.Women'smarriage and family lives and roles,as the daughter,the wife,the matron and themother,were comprehensively observed in second chapter.The third chapterdevelops from six aspects:women's social intercourse,ornaments,judicial attendance,economic behavior,political activity and religious worship,which indicates that thewomen acquired much more broder life space then ever before.They even playedsignificant roles in the men ever occupied domains,except serving in the army andreigning the country.Indeed,it should be pointed out that although women status were greatlyimproved,we can not aggrandize the improvement.To begin with,it is just relativeimprovement,when comparing with women's status in early Rome and other ancient countries.Second,women here studied are just part of women at that time,i.e.upper-class and middle-class women,while excluding a great number of lower-classwomen.In fact,the status of lower-class women hadn't substantially improved.Inaddition,the improvement could not change the position of men who ruled overwomen,and women all the same belonged to the inferior gender.