"As a general proposition: Social advances and changes of periods are
brought about by virtue of the progress of women towards liberty and the
decadences of the social order are brought about by virtue of the decrease
of liberty of women . . . . The extension of privileges to women is the
general principle of all social progress." Charles
Fourier, Design for Utopia, 1971.
Classical Greece
In Theogony, Hesiod explains the creation of the
universe. What pattern appears in his telling?
How do the myths of Ancient Greece correspond to the socio-historical
changes of its society?
How were the knowledge of differences between the sexes
used to subjugate women?
What were some of the theories of these differences?
How does Greek society (and women's roles within it) change
as it shifts from an aristocratic organization to a democratic one?
What changes occur in the Hellenistic World that improve
conditions for women?