Slide 2:
Roman society consisted basically of households and families. Most of the time they consisted of the father (usually the head of the family), his wife, children, and other relatives. Sometimes upper class would consider slaves and servants as part of the household. Roman Family Roman Society
Slide 3:
The father of the household had much power and influence over his family. He could force a marriage or even a divorce, trade his kids into slavery for money, claim his dependents’ property as his own, and could even punish and/or kill a family member (though this seemed to end around after the 1st century BC). Men of Ancient Rome
Slide 4:
Even though a man held so much influence over the family, he wasn’t considered the head of the household, nor could he hold property, if his own father lived. Gaius Marius
Slide 5:
Earlier, when a daughter married she was bound under the husband’s control in the household. By late Republic this fell out of fashion, but Romans through the male lines could keep any children that the wife had. Women of Rome