Roman Views on Women and Children

In Rome women and children were treated unfairly because one of the laws is that they are owned by slaves even when they become powerful. You can see there feelings toward children by the twelve tables when they say "A dreadfully deformed child shall be killed" (http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html Table 4, Article 1). They say "If a father surrender his son for sale three times, the son shall be free" (http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html Table 4, Article 2). "Females by reason of levity of deposition shall remain in guardianship even when they have attained their majority"(http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html Table 5, Article 1).  "Women must not tear cheeks or hold chorus of "Alas" on account of a funeral"(http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html Table 10, Article 4).  . The Roman men thought of children as objects not human beings.

"THE TWELVE TABLES." California State University, Northridge. Web. 05 Mar. 2010.