Gender Roles In Athenian Culture

ATHENIANS Greece is considered to be a country that has diverse cultures and great interests that are mainly influenced by its location which is at the junction between the West and the East, Athenians are generally proud of their culture, and they feel that it defined their national and ethnic belonging. Culture relates to the family roles and organization and shown below;

The Family Roles and Organization Construct of Purnell’s Model Head of household The man is considered to be the head of the family and the outside representative of the family. He enjoys the social esteem and privilege (Jones, 2004). The woman was traditionally the household organizer, the family mediator in times of dispute, and the guardian of the unity of the family.

Land and property has in the past been owned by both genders. Both had the role of contributing to the field. With urbanization, both men and women have remained economically active. Traditionally, gender roles could be differentiated where there was male dominance until recently. Traditionally, males were linked to public spaces while women with private spaces, where there as an exceptional role that was played by the women in cleaning, maintaining, and attending churches. In addition, their economic role in the family included their position as mothers, daughters, and wives, ownership of property, religious activities, and maintenance of the household, and artistic expression through crafts, dancing, and music. However, there has been a decline in the differences between the gender roles in the last few decades. For example, the Family Law of the year 1983 established the legal gender equality in decision making and family relationships. In addition, the percentage of women who are holding public offices has increased. Women are currently fully represented in public spaces such as beaches, public plazas, stores, restaurants, and