Background
Men, women, and children in ancient Greece had different roles and responsibilities. Let's look at the roles you and your friends and family would have had if you had lived in ancient Greece.
Men
The man was in charge of the family and the house. Most men worked during the day as businessmen or farmers. When they were at home, they were treated with great respect. Even during dinner, the men laid on couches and were fed and entertained by the slaves while the women and children ate in another room.
Men were given the most responsibility and, therefore, were considered the most important people in ancient Greece. Men ran the government, and spent a great deal of their time away from home. When not involved in politics, the men spent time in the fields, overseeing or working the crops, sailing, hunting, in manufacturing or in trade.
For fun, in addition to drinking parties, the men enjoyed wrestling, horseback riding, and the famous Olympic Games. When the men entertained their male friends, at the popular drinking parties, their wives and daughters were not allowed to attend.
Women
Women didn't have as many privileges as men in ancient Greece. For example, they were not allowed to eat or sleep in the same room as men, go to the Olympics, or go into the marketplace or streets of the city. Since they spent a lot of time in the house, their most important tasks, aside from having children, were running the household and managing the slaves. Women in less wealthy households did not have slaves and had to do all the housework themselves. In peasant households, the women were in charge of working the fields. With the exception of ancient Sparta, Greek women had very limited freedom outside the home. If they had their husband's permission to do so, they could attend weddings, funerals, some religious festivals, and could visit female neighbors for brief periods of time. In their home, Greek women were in charge!
Their job was to run the house and to bear children.
Most Greek women did not do housework themselves. Most Greek households had slaves. Female slaves cooked, cleaned, and worked in the fields. Male slaves watched the door, to make sure no one came in when the man of the house was away, except for female neighbors, and acted as tutors to the young male children.
Wives and daughters were not allowed to watch the Olympic Games as the participants in the games did not wear clothes. Chariot racing was the only game women could win, and only then if they owned the horse.
If that horse won, they received the prize.

Babies
The ancient Greeks considered their children to be "youths" until they reached the age of 30!
When a child was born to ancient Greek family, a naked father carried his child, in a ritual dance, around the household. Friends and relatives sent gifts. The family decorated the doorway of their home with a wreath of olives (for a boy) or a wreath of wool (for a girl).
Girls
Boys and girls had different roles in ancient Greece. Girls grew up helping their mothers around the house. All girls were taught to cook, weave, and clean. Girls also learned ancient secret songs and dances so they could participate in the religious festivals. Some girls were taught to read and write by their mothers, but this was rare. At age 15, the girls of wealthy families were expected to throw away their toys and marry the man that their father chose for them. Peasant girls found their own husbands while working in the fields. In Athens, as in most Greek city-states, with the exception of Sparta, girls stayed at home until they were married. Like their mother, they could attend certain festivals, funerals, and visit neighbors for brief periods of time. Their job was to help their mother, and to help in the fields, if necessary.
Boys
Boys were considered to be more important than girls and were sent to school at age 6. At school they learned to read, write the alphabet, add on an abacus, and enjoy poetry and music. Boys were expected to have a healthy mind and body. They were taught to have healthy bodies by participating in gymnastics -- this included wrestling, running, jumping, and throwing the javelin.
At age 16, boys began to train for their future jobs. If they wanted to be in the army, they would have started training at age 7 and entered the army at age 20. Other popular jobs were those of businessmen and Olympic athletes.
Slaves
Slaves were very important to the ancient Greek way of life. Slaves cleaned and cooked, worked in the fields, factories, shops, in the mines, and on ships. Even the police force in ancient Athens was made up of slaves! Most slaves’ lives were not that different from a poor Greek citizen's life.
There were things slaves could not do. They could not go to school, or enter politics, or use their own name. They were given a name by the citizen who owned them. They were the property of their owner, not citizens of ancient Greece.
People became slaves in many ways. Some people became slaves when captured in battle. Some were the children of slaves. Some were Greek infants, abandoned on a hill or at the gates of a town, left to die, or to be rescued by someone passing by.
Some children were sold into slavery by poor families, and some children were kidnapped.
Slaves were so important to the culture of ancient Greece, that some historians believe there were as many slaves as citizens! (Source: http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/AncientGreece.html)