Patriarchy in Athens

During class, my group was assigned to focus on patriarchy. As sad at it is, I had no clue what patriarchy actually meant so here is the definition from Merriam-Webster for all of you that are reading this and asking the same question that I did. A patriarchy is a family, group or government controlled by a man or a group of men (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patriarchy). In Athens, women had no role in political life. They were considered “infertile males” because they do not produce sperm, which is believed to be the form/soul of human beings. This part was surprising to me because women were considered passive or inactive in the reproductive process. That put me in shock when I read it because I believe that women carry the most important role in reproduction. Women’s bodies carry and nurture the baby for 9 months until it is born. The men do not have to deal with childbirth, having terrible mood swings, and aches. This part of the book was just shocking and very controversial.