Final answer:
In the early democracy of Athens, citizens were expected to participate in their government, which was a direct democracy allowing eligible male citizens to vote on legislation and executive bills. While it broke new ground, this system excluded women, slaves, and non-citizens from political participation, revealing it to be a democratic patriarchy by the standards of its time.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the early democracy of Athens, citizens were expected to participate in their government. Athenian democracy, notably direct in its approach, allowed eligible citizens to vote on legislation and executive bills. A notable figure in its establishment was Solon, who set forth early democratic reforms around 600 BCE, followed by Cleisthenes who, in 508 BCE, extended voting rights to all male citizens, thereby laying the groundwork for what is considered the first 'real' democracy.
Despite these democratic advances, by contemporary standards, Athens cannot be considered as having had an egalitarian society. Notably, women, slaves, and foreigners were excluded from political life, with only a fraction of the population being eligible to vote. The democracy that existed was for the adult, male, often land-owning citizens. Classical Athenian society was a democratic patriarchy that strived towards egalitarian ideals but remained fundamentally exclusionary.
Pericles, a vital political figure of the time, is known to have emphasized the moral imperative for citizens to involve themselves in politics, a value still reflected in modern democracies that encourages citizen participation in the political process to ensure its healthy functioning.