Oeconomicus, Xenophon: An Analysis

In the written work Oeconomicus, Xenophon, a Greek philosopher, integrates the roles of women and men inside and outside the home to show their differences and how this leads to an effective partnership. In this piece, Xenophon achieves this goal by writing a dialect between Ischomachus and Socrates where Socrates is looking to Ischomachus for advice on how to train a woman in her role as a wife and mother. The author expresses positions assigned by both God and man. He also explains his ideas using a metaphor of women being similar to queen bees. Finally, Xenophon elucidates the union of a man and a woman, and how they build each other up.
During the time period of this piece of literature, definitive duties identify to both men and women from both a social standpoint and from the Gods. According to Xenophon, certain aspects of human physiology are the reasoning behind their roles. Due to the fact that God is the creator in this world’s opinion, he is, therefore, the reason why some of these jobs exist. An example of a physiological duty is, God “ made the man’s body and mind more capable of enduring cold and heat, and journeys and campaigns; and therefore imposed on him the outdoor tasks. To the woman, since he has made her body less capable of such endurance, I take it that God has assigned …show more content…
First, the reader learns that between a man and a woman’s parents, a woman should understand her role in the household. This displays that women do not choose their roles but comply with the assigned duties. Secondly, the importance of God in society is also shown. The reader sees this through the traits assigned by God. The people and the author of this time period both view God as the higher decision maker at the time. The specific traits such as courage, endurance, and physique are not an outcome of one's genetics or the environment as opposed to the direct result of God’s