WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Influence, not power However wealthy they were, because they could not vote or stand for office, women had no formal role in public life. In reality, wives or close relatives of prominent men could have political influence behind the scenes and exert real, albeit informal, power.

Detailed explanation-2: -They worked a variety of jobs including merchants, wet nurses, midwives, scribes, and dancers. As you might expect, wealthy women had a much better life than peasant women. They were often educated and taught to read and write. Once married, they had servants and slaves who did most of the hard work around the house.

Detailed explanation-3: -Because of their limited public role, women are named less frequently than men by Roman historians. But while Roman women held no direct political power, those from wealthy or powerful families could and did exert influence through private negotiations.

Detailed explanation-4: -Women’s Legal Status in Ancient Rome By law, Roman girls and women were almost always under the jurisdiction of a male, whether a paterfamilias, a husband, or a legally appointed guardian. Throughout her life, a woman might pass from the control of one male to another-most typically, from father to husband.

Detailed explanation-5: -Typical jobs undertaken by such women were in agriculture, markets, crafts, as midwives and as wet-nurses. Roman religion was male-dominated but there were notable exceptions where women took a more public role such as the priestesses of Isis (in the Imperial period) and the Vestals.