WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Legally, women’s rights were limited. They were barred from political participation, and Athenian women were not permitted to represent themselves in law, though it seems that metic women could. (A metic was a resident alien-free, but without the rights and privileges of citizenship).

Detailed explanation-2: -Women in Athens had few rights because they were not considered citizens, which can be viewed as ironic since Athens is known as the birthplace of democracy. Women who were married and daughters of citizens had fewer rights than freed male slaves.

Detailed explanation-3: -As in other Greek city-states, Athenian society was made up of roughly three classes: citizens, farmers and merchants, and slaves. Citizens had the most privileges and were seen as representatives of the city-state.

Detailed explanation-4: -Not everyone in Athens was considered a citizen. Only free, adult men enjoyed the rights and responsibility of citizenship. Only about 20 percent of the population of Athens were citizens. Women were not citizens and therefore could not vote or have any say in the political process.

Detailed explanation-5: -However, the status of women was not exactly the same in all societies of the ancient Greek world. In the oligarchic Sparta, where the abridging of a Spartan warrior was the biggest virtue, free women had more rights and enjoyed greater autonomy than women in any other Greek city-state of the Classical Period.