Rome is painted in my imagination as a noble, strong empire. The idea conjures up images of flowing white togas and majestic public bath houses, sophisticated paintings and gladiator fights. The reality, however, held many of the same issues our society is dealing with today.
Gender inequality was at the very roots of the Roman Empire, preventing women from voting or holding positions of power. In fact, a man could legally kill his wife or daughter if they questioned his authority. We have definitely progressed sense then, but it is dumbfounding to me that gender inequality still exists at all.
The controversy regarding women’s rights was brought up by the Roman Senate in 195 BC. A Senate member by the name of Cato the Elder said “Women is a violent and uncontrolled animal...if you allow them to achieve complete equality with men, do you think they will be easier to live with? Not at all! Once they have achieved equality, they will be your masters.”, which appears to have reflected the general attitude of the public.
Cato the Elder is one of the many people who have fought against equality with a vengeance. Equality is something that effects everyone involved, but because individuals who are benefiting from inequality are generally the ones enforcing the rules, positive change is extremely difficult. For hundreds of years women have spoken out about their rights, only to be silenced, or disregarded by the men in power.
Hortensia made a speech in the Forum in 42 BC, when a large group of women were holding a public meeting, where she argued “why should we pay taxes when we do not share in the offices, honors, military commands, nor, in short, the government for which you men fight between yourselves with such harmful results?” 
During the rule of  Augustus, the empire suffered a series of new laws, many of which directly effected the rights of women. Among the many he put into place, one stated that a woman convicted of adultery could be banished to an island and loose half of her property. This is slightly hypocritical of him, seeing as he married Livia, who had just given birth to Nero’s child three days previously. He also put laws into effect to the regard that men could not give their wives gifts while they were still alive, and that a widowed woman must remarry within three years of her husband’s death.
  This is a debate that has gone back hundreds of years and is still a very prominent issue today. Thankfully, in the world where we live women are much closer to being equal to their male counterparts than in the societies of the past . Ancient Rome, with all of it’s untold secrets and carefully concealed dark corners,  is still such a fascinating time period to me. It’s inspiring to learn about the women who did speak out, then and today, and important, for the good of our world, to carry on their message.