I do have (quite) a few qualms about presenting Sparta as this proto-feminist state. I don't believe that women actually had real power in Sparta. Many of the supposed "freedoms" they possessed were linked to turning them into more effective baby-factories - that was certainly the point of having girls train (that, and apparently providing a prurient spectacle to men). They could own property, but that was probably tied in with the lack of manpower in the Spartan upper class, and legal ownership doesn't meant they could actually do anything with it in terms of management, etc. I rather think that for Spartan women, as for any other Greek women, their lives were supposed to revolve around their men.
The presentation of both Spartan and Athenian women was overstated, partly because the programme only actually talked about elites, without saying that they did so. The Spartan women talked about were those from the full Spartan citizen families, who formed a very small portion of the city's population - for most Laconian women life would be much more of a drudge. Likewise, the Athenian women who were kept most secluded were those from the wealthiest families - poorer women, whose husbands couldn't afford so many slaves, had to go out and about in the city, to do things like shop, etc., and thus fall short of the ideal to which they were conditioned to aspire.
And the other thing not got across was how much what we "know" about Spartan women comes from Athenian writers, many of whom are reporting rumours and old wives tales rather than confirmed facts. Think of what white Americans used to think black Americans did, or some of the things Protestants and Catholics have accused each other of in the past. So a lot of what Spartan women supposedly did may be exaggerated or wholly invented tales, pointing up the outlandish practices of Spartans, as compared to the sensible behaviour of Athenians.
Over-long comment
I do have (quite) a few qualms about presenting Sparta as this proto-feminist state. I don't believe that women actually had real power in Sparta. Many of the supposed "freedoms" they possessed were linked to turning them into more effective baby-factories - that was certainly the point of having girls train (that, and apparently providing a prurient spectacle to men). They could own property, but that was probably tied in with the lack of manpower in the Spartan upper class, and legal ownership doesn't meant they could actually do anything with it in terms of management, etc. I rather think that for Spartan women, as for any other Greek women, their lives were supposed to revolve around their men.
The presentation of both Spartan and Athenian women was overstated, partly because the programme only actually talked about elites, without saying that they did so. The Spartan women talked about were those from the full Spartan citizen families, who formed a very small portion of the city's population - for most Laconian women life would be much more of a drudge. Likewise, the Athenian women who were kept most secluded were those from the wealthiest families - poorer women, whose husbands couldn't afford so many slaves, had to go out and about in the city, to do things like shop, etc., and thus fall short of the ideal to which they were conditioned to aspire.
And the other thing not got across was how much what we "know" about Spartan women comes from Athenian writers, many of whom are reporting rumours and old wives tales rather than confirmed facts. Think of what white Americans used to think black Americans did, or some of the things Protestants and Catholics have accused each other of in the past. So a lot of what Spartan women supposedly did may be exaggerated or wholly invented tales, pointing up the outlandish practices of Spartans, as compared to the sensible behaviour of Athenians.
I'll stop now