Why were women barred from the Olympic Games while girls could compete in the festival of Hera?

In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games were a religious festival held in honor of the god Zeus, and the exclusion of women from these events reflected the distinct social and religious structures of the time. While the Herean festival—held in honor of the goddess Hera—did include a footrace for young women, it was a separate event held at a different time of year and was not part of the Olympic Games themselves.123

The exclusion of women from the Olympics was rooted in the male-dominated nature of the Games, which were deeply tied to the gymnasia and the military-focused world of Greek men. Although some women, such as those in Sparta, participated in local athletic training, such opportunities were rare elsewhere in the Greek world. The Herean race provided a specific, limited religious context for young women to compete, but it did not alter the fundamental restriction of the Olympic Games, which remained a male-centered institution.4123