Women were not citizens of Rome. Only adult free men were
citizens. The ancient Roman men believed that a women had to be
under a guardianship. That guardianship could be a father or a
husband. But they believed a women was unable to direct her own
activities. once said of early Roman men, "Our ancestors, in
their wisdom, considered that all women, because of their innate
weakness, should be under the control of guardians." During the
200 years when Rome was a kingdom, a wife was the center of the
household. It was her job to take care of her home and family.
She taught her daughters how to cook and sew. But women had no
rights. A woman could not even make a suggestion to her husband.
Her guardian, her husband or father, had complete control over
her activities. In most families, women could shop, visit a
temple, or chat in public. But she could not participate in
government. Few women wanted additional rights. During the 500
years that Rome was a Republic, women gained no legal freedoms,
but women were allow