In Ancient Greece, women had a private, personal space only for them in which they meet, talked, played and helped each other. This place was called the gynaceum (Greek: γυναικεῖον gynaikeion, from Ancient Greek γυναικεία gynaikeia "part of the house reserved for the women"; literally "of or belonging to women, feminine")The married woman of the household would often join the unmarried women and the female slaves at night when she did not join her husband. The women spent most of their days in this area of the house. These rooms were more remote from those reserved for the men by placing them away from the streets and public areas of the house. When visitors were entertained the women were not present, but remained in this secluded portion of the house
In the 8th century, Japan had women emperors, and in the 12th century during the Heian period, women in Japan could inherit property in their own names and manage it by themselves: "Women could own property, be educated, and were allowed, if discrete (sic), to take lovers.The traditional Japanese room was made from wood and closed with sliding doors (shouji and fusuma) and women slept usually alone or rarely with their husband in the room. The Japanese traditional woman usually had a servant which helped her every morning to wash and change.
In the traditional romanian peseant life the woman had the whole household for herself because her main role and aspiration was to take care of it, to clean, cook, feed the animals and take care of the garden and of her children. The man was often away during the day working on the field or wandering through the village. In the summer when the weather was too hot the whole family slept outside on the ‘’prispa’’ which is the perimetral extension of the house like a porch.
This project explores the many statuses, roles and meanings of women around the world thorough history and how the spaces they lived in reflected their life and the time period values.
