The simile of Roman law
The author compares Roman law to the Greek philosophy that disadvantages women. The author writes, "Roman law, like Greek philosophy, underlay medieval thought and shaped medieval society. The ancient belief that adult, property-owning men should administer households and make decisions affecting the community is the very fulcrum of Roman law.”
Medieval European Households
The males are the ones who are entitled to inheritance and property ownership in medieval European households compared to the non-Western civilizations. The author writes, “Medieval European households, like those in antiquity and non-Western civilizations, were headed by males.
The metaphor of masculine supremacy
The author uses masculine masculinity as a metaphor to represent misogynist assumptions purposely put in place to disadvantage a woman. A woman is brainwashed to mean that she is inferior and should always be submissive to a man. The metaphor of male masculinity is also a paradox because it applies the principles of religion to convince a woman that she bears the burden of the original sin.
