The economic effects of war on Athenian women
The pressure of war on Athenian society became especially evident in the severe
damage done to the prosperity and indeed the very nature of the lives of many
previously moderately well-off
women1 whose husbands and brothers died
during the conflict.
Such women had traditionally done weaving at home for
their own families and supervised the work of household slaves2, but the
men had earned the family's income by farming or practicing a
trade3. With no one to provide for them and their children now,
these women were forced to work outside the home to support their families. The only
jobs open to them were low-paying occupations traditional for women such as
baby
nurse or weaver, or in some cases laboring jobs, such as being a vineyard
worker4, for which there were not enough men to meet the need. These circumstances
brought more women into public view, but they did not lead to a woman's movement in
the modern sense, or to any inclusion of women in Athenian political life.
