How did the world go from having goddess religions in Rome, to women having to struggle to vote?

Question

I was thinking about the power women had in the Roman Pagan society, and then it came to me. How did it go from women temples and stuff, to women having to struggle to get rights to vote?

And nope justagirl, I didn't read that book. But does the book talk about this also?

Answer 1

maybe the rise of misogynistic abrahamic religions?

Answer 2

That would be the prevalence of Christianity.  Not that women had a lot of say before that is.  

Answer 3

Three Words:

Saul of Tarsus.

Answer 4

The bible came along.

Answer 5

Actually, the goddess religions had morphed into male-dominated society LONG before the Roman religion that we recognize today.  The Roman world was ruled by Jupiter...male.  Greece was ruled by Zeus...male.

And the switch came with writing.  I took a class in it in college.  Can't really remember why, but it had to do with the evolution from an oral telling to a written telling, and an agrarian society to a more urban society.  Women were still needed to take care of the babies and home, so men wound up morphing into the rulers.  War has part of the blame, as well, technology made war a bigger business, and more male-oriented.  

It's far too complicated for something like this forum.

Answer 6

I have to agree with Lime Kitty on this one, women didn't have a role within Roman Society in the context your thinking of. They had Virgins within their temples who was considered a form of priestess if I remember right but other then that a woman's role was to serve the man ie father husband and provided Children. Thankfully civilisation has moved on from that time.

Answer 7

Hello,

Women could not vote in Ancient Rome either. They did have the vestal virgins who had a lot of restrictions as well.

Cheers,

Michael Kelly

Answer 8

I think you're assuming that since there were "Cults of the Goddess" in Greco-Roman times, that somehow women were elevated socially...

...they weren't...

And Cults of the Goddess really were not all that prevalent during the time-frame you're referencing...the goddesses had to be respected as much as the gods, but that respect was not a two-way street.  Real devotion to the Goddess seems to have been prevalent hundreds (if not thousands) of years before Athens (and later Rome) held such prominence.  Goddess shrines are found all the time throughout Europe and Asia - but that worship seems to have been supplanted by the stronger male gods prior to the Axial Age.

ps - what book was justagirl referencing?  Her answer has disappeared...

EDIT:  Lion, I left comments on the BAs you gave me, if you're interested.

EDIT (part deux):  You can leave comments on any resolved question...I do it all the time....there's no points involved, and you have a small limit on what you can say word-wise (300 character limit), so I guess that's why not many people mess with it...but I think it's better than having open email accounts...too many crazy people on this forum...

Answer 9

Christianity.

Answer 10

Women still didn't have much power in Rome.  All of the Senators and the entire line of Emperors were all men.

They had power in religions, but not so much in governments.

Answer 11

They had even more power in ancient Egypt and Babylon. Social and religious power, if not political. In the ancient world, childbirth was seen as powerful magic, and fertility (both human and agricultural) was highly prized, for obvious reasons.

Monotheism is what subjugated woman. It was in part designed to do exactly that. If a single god was "super" natural, we no longer had to pay much attention to gods in regard to agriculture. And childbirth? Well, if you vilify s*x and exalt virginity, you more or less undercut that, too.

Answer 12

Great question, I don't know and I am now pretty convinced that you're not the original Lion of Judah or that he's really done a big turn in his thinking.