Although the Hollywood movie “300” really brought the idea (romanticized or not) of how the civilizations of the Spartan people lived to the silver screen and to the forefront of many people’s interests, I have been fascinated by the unique history and way of life of these historic warrior people for as long as I can remember. The role of women in history has always been a subject that seems to grab my attention.

 Athens, clearly the “hub” of progress in many ways at one point in time was not however the center of progress for women. In fact, women in Athens were “compared often to children or domesticated animals, women were associated with instinct and passion and lacked the rationality in public life” (173). This view was in stark contrast to those of Spartan women in their society. “This militaristic and far-from-democratic system had implications for women that, strangely enough, offered them greater freedoms and fewer restrictions. Their central task was reproduction—bearing sons for Sparta [Okay…maybe not so great…but it DOES get a little better, arguably better then Athens.] To strengthen their bodies for childbearing, girls were encouraged to take part in sporting events—running, wrestling, throwing the discus and javelin, even driving chariots. At times, they competed in the nude before mixed audiences. Their education, like that of boys, was prescribed by the state, which also insisted that newly married women cut their hair short, unlike Greek women elsewhere. Thus Spartan women were not secluded or segregated, as were their Athenian counterparts. Furthermore, Spartan young women, unlike those of Athens, usually married men of their own age, about eighteen years old, thus putting the new couple on a more equal basis.” (176). Here comes the REALLY interesting part…“Marriage often began with a trial period to make sure the new couple could produce children, with divorce and remarriage readily available if they could not. Because men were so often away at war or preparing for it, women exercised much more authority in the household than was the case in Athens” (176). We can see that the Spartans (men and women alike) were mainly concerned with the reproduction of healthy strong Spartan soldiers, but because it takes two strong individuals to raise such offspring, Spartan women were held in much higher esteems than their neighboring repressed Athenian women. Although, neither is a true society in which I would have wanted to live as a woman, if I had to choose I would choose Sparta. That way, I would at least have a “fighting chance”….pun intended.