Women's Roles

[gen_g]

I think there was more equality amongst the Celts than the was with the Romans but I certainly wouldn’t split it 50/50. Having said that, I don’t think we are any further ahead today than the Celts were all those years ago.

There has never been a truer statement than this! I do think we are still really far off, especially since nowadays the obstacles are generally not tangible.

We are far off from true equality but I think saying we are no further is an exaggeration. Forced marriage is not commonplace and society would be appalled by the idea that someone needed to wed a different tribe to avoid war. In this story's version of history, I don't know any modern woman who would want to change how she was treated to Catrin's life.

I do agree with you to a certain extent - however, I do think that this depends on the geographical context. Arranged marriages are still commonplace in certain first-world countries, due to the patriarchal nature of those societies. We have come further, but not by much. I think that the obstacles preventing gender equality today are more insidious compared to those in the past, which is why I mentioned it.

Of course, I couldn't even begin to imagine how Catrin must have felt!

[BookDragon100]

I loved the strong women characters in the book. I especially liked that for Catrin's people woman were considered equal to men. It was obvious that the Roman's didn't share their views, so the equality wasn't everywhere. However, to see it somewhere was nice.

Can you give any examples of Catrin being strong? I never really saw her do anything but react to what what happening to her. I can't really think of anything she did to exhibit strength throughout the whole novel.

Well Catrin is constantly having to fight for what she believes in throughout the whole story, despite Agrona's attempts to make her weak and her mother not believing her. She is a young woman and is being pressed upon to make the wrong choices throughout and she still does everything she can to fight for what she believes is right. Not to mention the fact that she is physically strong and it is said multiple times that Marcellous can't take advantage of her against her will because she is one of their strongest warriors.

[CommMayo]

Well Catrin is constantly having to fight for what she believes in throughout the whole story, despite Agrona's attempts to make her weak and her mother not believing her. She is a young woman and is being pressed upon to make the wrong choices throughout and she still does everything she can to fight for what she believes is right. Not to mention the fact that she is physically strong and it is said multiple times that Marcellous can't take advantage of her against her will because she is one of their strongest warriors.

But what is she really fighting for? What does she think is right? She isn't fighting for love. She really isn't fighting for her kingdom. She just seems to let life happen to her. Yes, somewhere in the novel someone mentions that she is a fierce warrior, but where does she actually exhibit that quality? Strong people don't let vomit covered people cajole themselves into bed with them. Marcellous did take advantage of her, not by force but by deceiving her that he loved her.

[Yashika abeeluck]

Strong women really amazed me from the beginning. There are women who are brave..and independent..and are ready to achieve their goals...and they are great role models of society.

[Pingin51]

Women in the U.S. got one of their first tastes of the working world during World War II. The men went to war, and the women went to the factories and offices. Though the women returned to their homes after the war, they didn't remain there for long. The social changes of the 1960s and 1970s caused a cultural revolution that found many women pursuing careers outside the home. In recent years, more men have expressed a desire to take on the role of primary caregiver to the children.

That doesn't mean these changes have been easy. Men have had to struggle with what masculinity means to them if they're not the sole breadwinner. Women have to deal with making less than men in wages and a difficult time advancing to the highest positions within a company. Women are also subjected to the "Mommy Wars" -- a set of battles between working moms and stay-at-home moms in which each side declares that the other side is irreparably harming their children.

[holsam_87]

I liked seeing two very different views of how women should be in society.

[Britty01]

I'm not sure if the Romans were actually that dismissive of women in history. I did a little reading, and I think it was exaggerated a bit for the novel...which is totally fine.

I agree with that assessment.

[Bon0]

According to me, the Celtic system is way better.

[amsula_2018]

The book may not portray accurately the gender equality for some women that are captured become slaves and their children inherit the same status. Gender equality may be seen among their fellow Celts but those of other race or nationality, it might be different.

[daydreaming reader]

Probably off topic but I read an article not to long ago, about DNA confirmation regarding a high ranking, female viking warrior. I just thought it was cool and wanted to share.

[ShareTheGift]

I noticed that there were a couple of posts debating whether there were actually Celts or not. They were referenced by the Greek in writing as early as 500 BC as "Keltoi" and their migration patterned tracked.

Unfortunately, they themselves had no early written history. Their history and observations being written by others. Old Irish would be the most similar language. All those vowels make for some difficult pronounciation!

[Mindy Conahye]

I have not read this book yet, but I am interested in reading it. I like that there are strong women in this book. I think I would like reading more about the Celtic women since the reviews say about them being treated more as equals.

[Nelsy Mtsweni]

There are a lot of expectations for women in our societies. The topic is always on women's duties, I hardly ever hear about a discussion on men's roles! Otherwise, I found this book to be inspiring, and I hope to get much time and read it entirely. Thanks

[billion1]

the role of the women have being fairly analized. In time past women were not given enough avenue to express and discover themselves. I realy appreciate the writer and all my fellow reviewers who believe and surport our women

[CommMayo]

I noticed that there were a couple of posts debating whether there were actually Celts or not. They were referenced by the Greek in writing as early as 500 BC as "Keltoi" and their migration patterned tracked.

Unfortunately, they themselves had no early written history. Their history and observations being written by others. Old Irish would be the most similar language. All those vowels make for some difficult pronounciation!

This is really interesting. It is a shame that we need to view the Celtic history through the lens of outsiders. I might have to go and see if I can find some YouTube videos of Old Irish now. You have me curious!