Greco-Roman sex ratios and femicide in comparative perspective
Walter Scheidel (Stanford University)
Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics: January (2010)
Abstract
Is it possible to demonstrate that ancient Greeks or Romans disposed of newborn daughters in ways that skewed sex ratios in favor of males? Epigraphic, papyrological, and archaeological evidence fails to provide reliable empirical support for this notion. At the same time, we cannot rule out the possibility that femicide did in fact occur. Drawing on comparative anthropological and historical evidence, this paper briefly develops two models of femicidal practice.
I take as my starting point the official invitation to attend this conference. It states “That sex biased infanticide was an issue in Greco-Roman antiquity has long been established.” I agree that sex biased infanticide has long been an issue in modern scholarship; it is however far less clear to what extent it was an issue in antiquity. Different matters are at stake:
(1) the practice of infanticide as opposed to other forms of what one might somewhat paradoxically label ‘post-partum birth control’, such as sale, exposure, and fatal neglect, not all of which necessarily resulted in death;
(2) the practice of sex-biased infanticide (targeting females) as opposed to infanticide in general;
(3) the question of whether induced sex-biased neonatal mortality resulted in imbalanced sex ratios at higher ages. As for the first point, the ancient sources leave little doubt that all of these forms of intervention were known and therefore presumably occurred, albeit at unknown rates. As for the second issue, while a certain degree of femicide was undoubtedly demographically feasible, the available evidence does not allow us even to guess how often it was practiced.
Walter Scheidel (Stanford University)
Princeton/Stanford Working Papers in Classics: January (2010)
Abstract
Is it possible to demonstrate that ancient Greeks or Romans disposed of newborn daughters in ways that skewed sex ratios in favor of males? Epigraphic, papyrological, and archaeological evidence fails to provide reliable empirical support for this notion. At the same time, we cannot rule out the possibility that femicide did in fact occur. Drawing on comparative anthropological and historical evidence, this paper briefly develops two models of femicidal practice.
I take as my starting point the official invitation to attend this conference. It states “That sex biased infanticide was an issue in Greco-Roman antiquity has long been established.” I agree that sex biased infanticide has long been an issue in modern scholarship; it is however far less clear to what extent it was an issue in antiquity. Different matters are at stake:
(1) the practice of infanticide as opposed to other forms of what one might somewhat paradoxically label ‘post-partum birth control’, such as sale, exposure, and fatal neglect, not all of which necessarily resulted in death;
(2) the practice of sex-biased infanticide (targeting females) as opposed to infanticide in general;
(3) the question of whether induced sex-biased neonatal mortality resulted in imbalanced sex ratios at higher ages. As for the first point, the ancient sources leave little doubt that all of these forms of intervention were known and therefore presumably occurred, albeit at unknown rates. As for the second issue, while a certain degree of femicide was undoubtedly demographically feasible, the available evidence does not allow us even to guess how often it was practiced.
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