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In ancient Athens and Rome, a few male writers conceptualized gender equality within their society, and what that would mean. Plato in his “Republic” and Aristophanes in “Ecclesiazusae” both conceived of a communist society where the genders are equal, and all resources are shared. Aristophanes proposes a government led by women, in which all share families and living spaces. Plato proposes an integration of women into the military, and the common raising of children. In Imperial Rome, Musonius Rufus argued for the full education of women, due to their equal nature to men and potential for success. However, writers such as Aristotle and Hippocrates believed in the inferiority of women’s bodies, and therefore their inability to rule or have equal footing with men. Many of these misogynistic stereotypical and biological prejudices against women in the ancient world continue today and hamper the ability of women to be considered as equal citizens in their potential to govern our American society. While there are some female trailblazers in the American government, such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Hattie Caraway, there is still a lack of full gender equality in the system, shown by the pay gap between men and women, and the gender demographics of Congress and the Presidency.
