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Basically, I think that the fundamental talent of a great writer lies not merely in using words, but in the ability to occupy someone else's POV. So I don't see that the writer's sex, or economic status, or anything much other than opportunity and talent, matter.
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Of course a talented male author can write a good female character and a talented free person can write a solid slave character -- my point was
less that those writing the Greek classics were male and free and
more that for the most part they didn't feel bothered to present a different point of view.
However, I would point out that the adage that "author circumstances don't matter" has been historically used to keep the "classics" cannon largely white, free, and male. A talented author may be able to conceive a solid character in completely different circumstances, but more often than not there is going to be something missing from the overall picture.