How did the status and experience of women change as mesopatamia society developed into a civilization?

Answer 1

Because of their primary role in procuring much of the family's food, women had relatively high status in hunter-gatherer societies. In the transition to food production, women's status suffered, as more of the heavy cultivating work was done by men. As increased food supplies encouraged larger family size, raising children occupied greater portions of women's time, further detracting from their social status. When Mesopotamia developed an urban middle class and private wealth, women were used to enhance family status and privilege through arranged marriages and family alliances. It is possible that women also began to wear veils at this time. New laws granted more control to male family members. Although women had no political role, some women worked outside the home in such occupations as textile weaving, brewing, prostitution, tavern keeping, baking, and fortunetelling, in addition to carrying out the ever-present domestic duties, preserving families, and raising children.