Pandora: A Greek Myth

by BlackCrow23

The heart of the myth

"Pandora" A Greek Myth

A major issue facing society today is gender inequality. Women are not always treated the same as men. Most of the well-paid jobs around the world are occupied by men, giving women very little power that manifests itself at the workplace and in the home. In Hesiod's Greek myth, Pandora, the myth introduces a stereotype of women. This stereotype existed in Ancient Greek society as well as in modern society today. In Ancient Greek society, the stereotype of women is that they are beautiful, but yet with a weakness that is dangerous to men. Men need and want women, but they fear them. Men's fear causes them to repress women, which has impacted the status of women in society. Nevertheless, things are changing such that women and men are more equal. This is especially evident in Western society. However, the repression of women is still a significant issue in Eastern society, but there is still hope for change in the future.

In order to fully understand the impact of this myth it is necessary to briefly explain this myth and the different versions that can be found in literature. In Greek mythology, "Pandora" is a story based on the King of Gods, Zeus, wanting to punish man. Zeus created a woman named Pandora, meaning "all gifts". Pandora was given to Epimetheus as a gift from the Gods. Zeus had given Pandora a jar that she was told not to open, but when Pandora was created, Zeus gave her the gift of curiosity. For this reason, Pandora could not resist the urge to open the jar. As Pandora opened the jar, she released spirits of evil among all of mankind. Pandora closed the lid immediately, not knowing that hope was stuck at the top of the jar. Therefore, Pandora's curiosity represents a weakness because mankind was cursed with evil. In Roman mythology, the story of "Pandora" is very similar to the Greek myth but it has an alternate ending. The similarities of the different versions of the myth are that Pandora was created to bring evil to mankind. The difference is that Pandora was not the one to physically bring evil upon mankind. It was just the present she brought to Epimetheus from the Gods that brought curiosity upon her husband to open the jar, sending evil spirits among mankind. Zeus knew that if he sent Pandora with a gift that Epimetheus' curiosity would get the best of him. In the bible, there is a similar story to "Pandora" where the curiosity of a woman, Eve, brings evil to mankind. Pandora in Greek mythology is known as the first woman; similarly, in the bible the first woman was Eve. Eve's curiosity leads her to eat from the tree of life even though God told her not to. It is because of her curiosity that she ate from the tree, creating sin for mankind. Even though Pandora and Eve have different names they were both the first women with the gift of curiosity. It is important to explain this myth in order to fully understand the impact that it has on the world.

The myth "Pandora" stereotypes women and it was relevant in Ancient Greek society. Women in Ancient Greece during the pre-Mycenaean times were a threat to men because they held superior positions to men in society. Women dominated society's social, religious, and legal customs. This was before the Greek-speaking people, the Mycenaeans, brought male-domination into Greece. This relates to the story of "Pandora" because in "Pandora", women are stereotyped to be very attractive to men, but dangerous. In Ancient Greece, men wanted to dominate women and be superior to them to counteract the danger. Another belief in Ancient Greece is that women should spend most of their time with other women in their homes, only ever leaving the house to perform religious duties. The women in the household would only ever be taught household skills, such as, spinning, weaving, sewing and cooking. This relates to "Pandora" because Pandora represented Zeus' vision of the perfect woman. "I want her to be beautiful enough to be a blessing, yet evil enough to be a punishment for mankind." (113, Rosenberg) She was attractive and dangerous which is why men in Ancient Greece kept women weak, so that women would never be able to over power men. Pandora's portrayal of women in Ancient Greek society really impacted men's view of women.

The myth "Pandora" represents the stereotype of women being dangerous to men, causing the repression of women in society. This was a problem in Western society prior to the 20th century, where women did not have equal rights to men. There are many events that lead to the improvement of women's social standing in Western society. Firstly, the Women's Liberation movement emerged and was aimed at establishing equal rights for women, such as, the right to vote. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution allowed women the right to vote in the US. Later on, during the 1970s an amendment was proposed that, "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." (479, Hofstadter) This would provide constitutional protection against laws and official practices that treat men and women differently. Women today have more job opportunities, which gives them more power in the work place allowing them to move up the corporate ladder. An example of a very powerful woman in business today is Indra Nooyi, the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. Ms. Nooyi played a significant role in the 2001 Quaker Food acquisition. Over the years, women have been given more opportunities to further their education allowing them to be more equal to men. Finally, evidence of changing society is the changing role of men in the work force. Men are starting to work from home or are becoming stay at home dads and not working at all. " The number of stay-at-home dads has tripled over the last ten years." (Easybabylife) This is so because more and more women are bringing in the higher incomes in the family. Also, men are no longer dominating the labor market as in past generations. In Western society, the "Pandora" stereotype of women did exist but has evolved over the century such that women are seen as more equal to men.

Pandora's stereotype of women as both beautiful but dangerous to men is still applicable to Eastern society today, where men continue to repress women in order to control them to feel safe from women's powers. This is evident in countries such as Afghanistan. For example, in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban control, "50% of the students and 60% of the teachers at Kabul University were women. In addition, 70% of school teachers, 50% of civilian government workers, and 40% of doctors in Kabul were women" (Feminist Majority Foundation). All of these women were fired and replaced by men once the Taliban took over and repressed women. Secondly, women in countries like Afghanistan do not have the same rights as men. For example, while under the control of the Taliban, Afghan women lost all their rights. They were no longer allowed to work, to be educated or to receive healthcare. Women were not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative. Also, they were forced to wear a burqa, which would completely cover their body, only leaving a small mesh-covered opening so they could see. Any woman who broke any of these rules would be subjected to severe punishment causing bodily harm and in most cases death. This shows how threatened men are of women and the lengths they would go to, to create rules to control women and ensure women do not over power them. As long as men fear women, the will continue to be repressed in certain societies like Afghanistan.

In "Pandora", hope got stuck in the jar before it could escape. Even though hope did not escape, there is still hope in the world for women to improve their social status and be given equal rights as men even in Eastern countries. Mainly, there are different organizations like Women for Women who help give hope to women in countries like Afghanistan by offering them programs like job-skills training, giving them emotional support, providing rights awareness classes and direct financial aids. An example is a woman named Azada, who joined the Women for Women International's sponsorship program and learned to cut semi-precious stones for jewelry. Now she teaches other women the skills she acquired with Women for Women International. Her most prized possession is her certificate of employment. (Women for Women) It is organizations like Women for Women that are helping give hope to women like Azada in further developing their careers. Something else that women are doing in Eastern countries is that they are standing up for themselves. Women are running for parliament in Afghanistan despite receiving death threats from the Taliban. These women have hope that they can make a difference, so they continue to run. Hope for a better future for women in Eastern countries is evident as we see women slowly fighting to better their lives in countries like Afghanistan.

In the Greek Myth, Pandora, men introduce a stereotype of women. In Ancient Greek society, women were stereotyped as beautiful but dangerous, and a threat to men. This has caused men to repress women in society. In most modern societies, the status of women has been improving; however, in other parts of society, women continue to be repressed by men. There are signs of hope for change in the future as women fight for equal rights.