Boys Just Want to Have Fun

While reading through the “Law of Hammurabi,” I realized that the presence of a male dominated society was unmistakable. Aside from having a majority of the provisions begin with the words “If a man,” women were not seriously mentioned until after theft and agriculture were discussed, and even then - their penalties seemed to be much harsher than the punishments applied on men.

Today’s society is far more accepting when it comes to women’s equal rights, and saying that robbery and irrigation takes priority over them could be considered offensive by many. Yet, these laws imply just that when they completely ignore any aspects associated with women until the second half of the text. False accusations, slaves, merchant negotiations, and farming negotiations are clearly given priority by being discussed first. Thus implying that women were not considered equal citizens, because they were not as essential to life as food, and the empire’s growing economy.

A few hypocritical laws also push this male dominated society forward. For instance, men could easily marry more than one woman if he pleased. Their sexual counterparts however, could only marry one man at a time – and could only do so if their first husband had wronged them in some way. Similarly, a man who engaged in any form of sexual intercourse with his daughter would merely be banned from his own city. A woman who was found in bed with her own son however, she would be killed. The numerous advantages and men had over women during this time period demonstrate how their society was far more male oriented.

The male dominated society of the time is depicted through this text’s choice in words, the priority of the authors, and the hypocritical provisions that bleed inequality. It is hard to determine exactly how respected women were during this time, but it is clear they did not share the same status as their male counter parts.