Ancient Rome followed the patterns in male-female roles as set by the Greeks for most of their history. Like the Greeks, love was generally not an element of most male/female relationships and prostitution was a major industry. For the Romans, the natural order of things was that men were better suited to labor outside the home while women were considered better equipped for handling matters within the home. Unlike Greek women, however, who were relegated to operating in the background even with the home, Roman women were afforded a much larger role in the home but were still not allowed to participate in affairs that occurred in public. In both Greek society and Roman society it must be remembered that they were societies in which under-population was a concern and not over-population as it is today. As a result, the primary function of women in both cultures was to produce offspring and particularly, male offspring. For the most part, the role of women in Roman culture was not much different than it was in the Greek culture.

As Western Civilization entered the Middle Ages women's place in society varied very little from what it been in ancient civilizations. A woman's place in medieval society was determined by the most significant male in her life whether it was her husband, her father or her brother. Often times, when a woman lost her male benefactor, she often lost her identity and became a social outcast. As dismal as this picture is, women in medieval Europe have few other choices.

In the East, attitudes toward women were much better than the one adopted in the West. Until the introduction of Hinduism in India women were not deprived of property rights or individual freedoms. With the introduction of Hinduism, however, the role of women changed dramatically as the tenets of said religion required obedience of women toward men. Women had to walk behind their husbands; could not own property; and widows could not remarry. Like Greek and Roman cultures, male children were preferred over female children.

The...

In the first few centuries of the modern era, Japanese women enjoyed a status equal to men. Women were not only allowed to rule but were actually encouraged to take part in the ruling process as they were viewed as being able to bring peace and regulation to the country. Just like the introduction of Hinduism caused a change in the role of women in India, the introduction of Buddhism in Japan caused women's roles in Japan to change as well. As Buddhism taught that women were of evil nature, the role of women in Japan became highly submissive.
Throughout the history of mankind gender roles have changed considerably. From the hunter/gatherer period where the two genders were largely equal through the changes of the agricultural era where women enjoyed a period where they were afforded great deference and actually enjoyed a brief period of dominance the world transcended into a largely male dominated society. In recent years this is all beginning to change again and the sexes are working their way toward equality. Unfortunately, old habits die hard and women and men continue to struggle in their efforts to adequately and fairly define their respective roles. In time, equality can be expected throughout the various cultures. Presently, such status has been nearly achieved in most industrialized nations but there remains considerable work to be done in developing countries where religion and historical practices still dominate the thinking.

Works Cited

Kevin Reilly, "Men and Women: Hunters and Gatherers" in The West and the World: a history of civilization from the ancient world to 1700. Kevin Reilly (New York: Harper & Row, 1989).

Kevin Reilly, "Men and Women: Hunters and Gatherers" in The West and the World: a history of civilization from the ancient world to 1700. Kevin Reilly (New York: Harper & Row, 1989), 12.

Reilly, 26.

Reilly, 15.

Reilly, 26.

Reilly, 161