Men VS Women roles in Mesopotamia
MenKings- Ruled the land, resided until they died and could create laws. Their word was everything.
Rule Makers- Creates minor rules, unlike Kings (who make larger rules, for example Hammurabi's code) Farmers- Harvesting food, preparing it for the markets, giving Fathers- Leading the family, providing support for wife, providing food and money to family, teaching the boys how to lead. Providing morals to children. Warriors- Fighting for country when needed, honoring countries orders when in warfare, must be ready at any moment, must respect his superiors. Building structures/slaves (Men & Women)- Carrying objects like bricks, assembling bricks together |
WomenWives- Making dinner (if they did not have servants/slaves), cleaning house, providing support for husband,
Mothers- Taking care of children when father is not home, teaching children, providing support for husband. Housekeepers- Much like Wives in terms of housework, cleaning house, preparing food Making Clothes- Weaving clothing with materials like cloth and wool from sheep |
Analysis
Men definitely had better roles than women in Mesopotamia. The men always took the hard working jobs which required a lot of effort (except for slaves), and were the main source of income for the family. They were expected to carry the family on their back, and question none of it. The women would never question the men, and they would get in trouble if they did. This makes me ask: why did they think it was okay to treat them as unequal? Did the men have superiority complexes, could they never view each other as equal? Eventually, this changed with the Egyptians, who gave the women much more power than the Mesopotamians.