The roles that men and women played during ancient times differ greatly from roles played in today’s society. In ancient times a woman’s job was to take care of her family and household. Her responsibilities included bearing children, raising the children, keeping the house clean, weaving, and taking care of the family’s finances. A woman was not meant to work outside of the home and it was not proper to call a woman by her name. Instead, she would be referred to by her husband’s name. For example, instead of being called Jane Smith she would be Mrs. John Smith. Women were also expected to act in a way which can be described as “seen and not heard.” They were not allowed to speak out against their husbands or other family members, and they had no real say in their husbands’ matters. While it was acceptable for a man to be sexual, women were expected to remain virtuous until their marriage and after that they were to remain faithful to their husbands. Women who were rapped before marriage were seen as damaged goods and had a hard time finding a husband. As stated before, women were meant to stay at home and not work; however some women did have jobs working at the forum or in the prostitution field.

Starting in the 1920’s women’s liberation really started to take off. It was during this era that a new type of female was born, the flapper. The flapper woman was portrayed as a free woman who had short hair, revealing clothing, used cosmetics, smoked, wore perfume and jewelry, and engaged in “petting.” The new woman worked, drank, and danced. She was the complete opposite of the ancient woman. She spoke her mind without fear of consequence and her relationships with men were loose, fun, and almost careless. Women in this era started to focus less on the home and more on themselves. They ventured out into the world and we saw women filling roles that only men had previously filled.