 Legally, women's rights were limited. They were barred from political participation, and Athenian women were not permitted to represent themselves in law, though it seems that metic women (a metic was a resident alien; free, but without the rights and privileges of an Athenian citizen) could. They were also forbidden from conducting any economic transactions worth more than a nominal amount. However, it seems that this restriction was not always obeyed. Especially in poorer families, women would have worked to earn money, and would also have been responsible for household tasks such as cooking and washing clothes. Athenian women had limited capacity to own property, though they could have significant dowries, and could inherit.
