What Were Roman Attitudes Towards Women and Children When the Twelve Tables Were Written?

   Children were treated as objects: possessions to be seen and not heard. Fathers could treat their children however they wanted to, they could sell them, beat them, or force them to do hard labor. If a child was seriously deformed, they were killed, just like a malfunctioning object is discarded. (IV.1) Fathers favored sons over daughters, therefore sons were treated better. However, if a child was male, they would have more opportunities and freedoms.
      Women were treated as objects to be seen and not heard, if not more so than children. At a funeral, women were not to cry or speak at all.(X.4) Women never got an opportunity to be free like sons did.(IV.2) Women were always supposed to be under the possession of a man. (V.1) No matter how many women there were, a man would have to be in control of them. Men were allowed to marry whomever they pleased in their own class, but women had no say over the matter. Women were treated as secondary citizens and as children. (VI.2)
Web Citations:
1. "THE TWELVE TABLES." California State University, Northridge. Web. 05 Mar. 2010. .  http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html 
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