Rome+and+Han+(Derrick+and+Sophie)

(Thesis- Sophie) Although the roles of women in both the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty share many similarities regarding subordiance to men, performance of domestic duties, and the confinement to motherhood and wifehood, differences such as their level of education, position of authority, and political power predominate in any comparison of the two.

(Comparisons- Sophie) Both the Roman and the Han Empires were characteristically patriarchal, that is, they were run by men and based on the assumption that men directed all political, economic, and cultural life. As daughters, women in the Roman Empire were expected to remain deferential and loyal towards their fathers throughout their entire lives, placing her father and his wishes in the highest esteem. Under "Manus", or Roman Law, wives were expected to obey their husbands in almost all aspects of their lives. Similarly, in the Han Empire, the husband and the father determined fundamental conditions and made the key decisions, while the women gave humble obedience to this male authority. The husband served as authority over his wife and children, just as he did over his slaves. The patriarchal family structure rested on the subordination to men, "If a wife does not serve her husband, then the proper relationship between men and women and the natural order of things are neglected and destroyed," as it was a normal condition for the vast majority of women. In Rome, where women had no formal role in public life, they were expected to play their traditional role in the household. Women were not only responsible for weaving yarn and wool, but had to raise their children to high moral standards. In the Han, even though men took over most of the productive work, women were expected to be industrious within the household, "Let a woman retire late to bed, but rise early to duties." They were expected to perform the work such as cooking and weaving clothing for the family with a cheerful attitude, guard their purity, words, thoughts and deeds to preserve the family honor. The main role of Roman women however was to be mothers. They were expected to be perpetually pregnant and honors were given to those who had more than three children. Their duty was especially important when it came to raising the children to be valuable Roman citizens. Chinese women in the Han Empire, were also mainly seen as child-bearers. They had almost no say in anything, except for being a correct example for raising the children and running the household, "Let a woman be correct in manner and upright in character in order to serve her husband." In general, in both the Roman and the Han Empires displays of self-assertiveness and independence by women was highly disliked.