Women, Power, and the Right to Speak Out

Myth Matters

"We moms are often underestimated. But we're stronger than we're given credit for. So what do you say, will you stand with me?" Bev Barnum, catalyst for the Wall of Moms protest in Portland, OR USA

In 411 BCE, Aristophanes' comedy the “Lysistrata” was performed in Athens. Athens was embroiled in the Peloponnesian War, and the play was a dream of peace in which women played a significant role.

In this podcast, I give a gloss of the plot of this play and consider some connections between the ancient Greek world of Aristophanes, and the growing presence of women in public life today. Women are taking the lead, speaking out, and showing up in greater and greater numbers. They are not uniformly welcome.

A look at the classical Greek roots of Western culture sheds some light on the cultural tensions that surround women and power and the right to speak out.

“We have to be more reflective about what power is, what it is for, and how it is measured. To put it another way, if women are not perceived to be fully within the structures of power, surely it is power that we need to redefine rather than women?”
― Mary Beard, Women & Power: A Manifesto

Visit the Mythic Mojo & Myth Matters website--- http://www.mythicmojo.com --- for links to related resources that you might find helpful.

Thank you for listening and keep the mystery in your life alive....

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