This shows very much what family meant to Spartans. Family was a man and wife getting together to breed children, but to have a functional family setting was hurtful to the army and was not practiced. Women in Sparta were given more freedom and held more responsible than women in Athens. Men were either at war or training most of their lives leaving women free to go out and spend time with each other. They had much more freedom and wealth than women in Athens. When men went to war women were left to make decisions for the community-- women in Athens would never have been left alone to do this. Mothers of Spartan soldiers were very harsh towards their sons. If a soldier throws their shield down it is to run away from battle like a coward. To come home on a shield means the soldier is dead. Spartan mothers would send their sons with these words: " Come home with a shield or on one." This meant if you lost your shield don't bother coming home. In conclusion, Spartans had no family life, boys were kept together to create unity, and women had more power, respect, and equality than Athenian women. .
In Athens there was a family life, but it was often separated by genders. In a wealthy family, husband and wife lived in almost different worlds. He was outdoors in the community with the other men. The wife stayed indoors with her daughters and other female relatives. Neither did housework nor shopping. Slaves took care of that. In a rich house there were different place to live for men and women. The Husband and wife would not converse very much. Another reason for separation was the age difference. The man was often married in his thirties and the woman was in her teens. They never had much in common at first so most women had young boyfriends near their age. This way of life was common, but in poorer houses life was different under the circumstances. Poverty forced husbands and wives to live together because of small quarters.
