Abstract

Where were the women? On exclusivity in ancient Greek democracy This article examines the position of women in Athenian democracy. First, we briefly explain what democracy in Athens looked like during its heyday. It is then explained that women were excluded from the active life in the polis and that at the same time there was an ambivalence in the classical Greek view on the status of women. Furthermore the role of women in fictional stories is elucidated as a possible explanation for her exclusion from real, active community life. It also discusses some key critics of democracy, with a particular focus on their views on the role of women in the state. Finally, the ideas of three female philosophers from ancient Greece are explained and it is argued that they possibly became known not on their own merits, but only because the female philosophers were seen as eccentric.