Free to utlize the legal system.
Free Women may petition the magistrate with complaints, to enforce proper
return of her Dowry portion, etc. Women who are enslaved may not utilize
the legal system.
Free to testify without torture.
Women who are enslaved only give
testimony under torture. Free Women may take the stand without such pain.
Free to refrain from work.
Free Men are considered outlaws by the city
if they refuse to perform their Caste work and are subject to impalement.
Free Women are permitted (and generally encouraged by Gorean Society) to
refrain from Caste work. Society expects the Men to provide.
Free to spend coin on what she chooses. Free Women in the possession of
money can generally spend the coin as she pleases on baubles, perfumes,
garments, etc.(unless otherwise restricted
by the Man responsible for her.) Women who are enslaved have no coin and
cannot purchase with freedom.
Free to conceal her features
and not be judged on her looks. Women who
are enslaved are denied this freedom and are forced to be viewed under the
often harshly appraising eye of Men.
Free to refrain from
cooking & cleaning. Free Women who do not desire to cook or clean may
rent slaves for a small fee from the city if they do not have their own to
perform these tasks. Women who are enslaved do not have these options open to
them and may be spared from cooking only if their owner decides to dine in
the public kitchens.
Free to bear and raise her children. Free Women are cherished for their
place in society as the bearers and caregivers of future Goreans. Women who
are enslaved on rare occassion in the books (and most notably in Tharna during
post revolution) bore children of their Masters. Other slaves who carried
children were kept on breeding farms specifically for the breeding of slaves.
Free to eat what and when it
pleases her, without having to have permission. Women who are enslaved
are not able to eat unless given permission to eat by their owner (or
responsible Free), and must generally earn their food with pleasing behavior.
While enslaved women often are fed the same foods as are being eaten by the
Free, they do not have the choice and may be given undesirable foods
especially if found displeasing.
Free to keep her thoughts and emotions private. Free Women are not forced
to reveal their deepest thoughts and emotions. Their private thoughts, are
just that - private thoughts. Women who are enslaved may be forced to reveal
their deepest thoughts - which are often used to better manage them. Deception
in revealing their thoughts is nearly impossible. The skin of a slave, not
hidden safely between robes, may mottle or prickle in certain situations,
revealing to the Men that she is being untruthful.
Free to speak. Free Women are
not required to ask permission to speak, as women who are enslaved often
must in certain situations. There are however, social customs that guide
the speech of Free Women.
Free to incur debt. Free Women are free to take loans and incur debt.
Women who are enslaved do not have this freedom.
Free to perform financial transactions. Free Women are free to deposit
amounts of wealth in banks, to draw letters of credit against those funds,
and perform other financial transactions. Women who are enslaved may not
perform financial transactions on their own behalf.
Free to own possessions. Free Women may in their own right, own all manner
of possessions - clothes, trinkets, jewelry, houses and even businesses.
Women who are enslaved may not own anything. Even a decorative bracelet "given"
to her belongs to her owner and may be taken away on a whim.
Free to be deceitful.
"Deceit is a freedom of free women," I said.
"But it is not a freedom permitted to slave girls, is it, Master?" she
asked.
"No," I said.
Blood Brothers
Free to sleep in comfort. Free Women may sleep with blankets and on deep
furs on the couch in their quarters assuming the freedom is not revoked for
the night by a displeased Companion. Women who are enslaved commonly sleep
chained on the floor at the foot of his couch or in a kennel, and often with
just enough cover to keep her from becoming ill. Any comfort she gains
generally must be earned.
Free to retain citizenship. Free Women are permitted the benefits of
citizenship to the city. Women who are enslaved have no home stone, no
citizenship.
Free to receive charity from caste. Free Women finding themselves in
difficult situations may apply to their Caste for assistance (food, shelter,
clothing, etc.) Women who are enslaved may not.
Free to negotiate. Free Women are free to negotiate with Men regarding
activities, plans, purchases, etc. Women who are enslaved have nothing to
negotiate with.
Free to have privacy. Free Women have the privacy of their own quarters.
They also are allowed privacy to tend to personal needs. Women who are enslaved
must squat in clear view over a pot if their owner desires.
The Freedoms of Free Women of the City Cultures on Gor
