Women, Tutors, and the Pater

[goldenecho]

I'm interested in the role of the tutor/guardian in Roman culture.  I understand that by the empire Roman women could choose their own tutor (fire them, hire a new one), so the women had more control over the tutor than the other way around.  But I'm just dipping into this topic so any good links on this subject would be great!

 

I'm really curious about how the rule that Augustus made where women who had had three children (4 for freedwomen) did not have to have a tutor affected things.   I understand women could own property and inherit things, but until their "pater" died their property would be under the pater-familias (unless they married in manu, in which case it would be their husbands." 

 

 

Since the "pater" owned all the weath of a family, even that of their grown sons...I was wondering if women with three children who had married "sine manu" who's "pater" had died would sometimes be able to hold their own property before their husbands could hold their own property? And if so I wonder if there was ever instances where couples used this "loop-hole" to escape the control of a "pater" or if wives ever used this to gain more control over their husbands.  I'd love to hear anything anyone knows about how this law affected daily life for women and families.  

[Crispina]

Testing.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Crispina