Socrates speaks well on the subject. (Though perhaps not as enlightened on the equity of the sexes as he could have been.)
Taken from Plato's work "The Republic", which is a discussion with Socrates' peers on the creation of a flawless society;
The replies from Socrates' peers are in italics:
[452] "I am going to suggest a rather novel idea; that we educate and train women the same as men. Does that seem ridiculous?"
"It seems to follow."
"I even mean that women, not just young ones but elderly women too, would even train naked in the gym, just like men do now."
"People would think that absurd, by today's standards."
"This is not a joke. We must ask, is the female of the species naturally capable of doing the same things as the male? Even being soldiers?"
"Well?"
"We agreed that different natures work best at different jobs. People will say that men and women have different natures, and so should follow different occupations."
"They will say that."
[455] "This is no answer, just a debating trick. We need to consider what we mean by 'different natures'. If a bald man is a good shoemaker, does that mean that a long-haired man, part of whose nature is opposite of bald, can't be so as well? Of course not, what matters is nature in relation to a particular. Women bear children, of course, and are generally better at cooking and weaving, but don't some men excel at cooking and weaving too?"
"True," he replied, "a good many women are better at a good many things than a good many men. Though, overall, men do tend to be better."
"Quite so. But the sort of skills needed for administering a State are found as often in women as in men."
"Agreed."
[456] "One woman may have a talent for music, or medicine, or soldiering, another for medicine or philosophy. And some women will be fit to be Guardians. Just as the Guardians will be the best citizens, the women Guardians will be the best women. Even if we might have to give women lighter duties they can still play a full part."
"I agree entirely."
Smart guys, those Greeks.
Socrates in advocation of Women Warriors in Society
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Socrates in advocation of Women Warriors in Society
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