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Not only did women take part in religion at the temple of Eileithyia, they also took part in politics there. In Plato's Laws, it is stated that Athenian women inspectors would meet at the temple. Their job was to make sure that all married couples were doing their best to produce children for the state, and they met at the temple of Eileithyia since she was the goddess of childbirth. If a husband and wife did not produce children within a ten year period, the female officials could help the couple reach agreeable terms for a divorce. The job of these officials was an important one since the Greek states were constantly warring among themselves and many lives were lost in battle. Children were necessary to keep the polis' population from dwindling and also to make contributions to their family's household. The officials were also important because the Athenians believed that their regulations could help bring about a higher quality of children born. Even though these women inspectors held a significant amount of power in regulating what went on in the home, the majority of women had considerable control over their own households anyway. As can be seen from Thomas Martin's account, Athenian woman were not only expected to raise the children, prepare the family's food, weave cloth, and perform the other household chores, but they also handled the financial affairs of the family. By managing the affairs of the household, the women of Athens allowed their husbands to participate more in the politics of the polis even though their own political rights were extremely limited.
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