WOMEN OF THE ERA

• Women viewed by Catholic Church as being inferior to men.
• Allowed limited to no education
• Status in society depended upon husband's status.
• Were expected to marry and bear several children (most children died at a very young age due to disease).
• Poor Women (peasants):
  • living in towns:  worked as servants, craft workers, shopkeeper, and ran household
  • living in country:  helped husband with the labor by working the land and tending the animals, ran household by growing and raising all of the family's food and taking care of the children.
• Wealthy Women (queens, noblewomen, ladies of the manor):
  • ran household by supervising servants and managing the household budget
  • while husbands at war, wife took over running the estate lands
  • responsible for children's education by providing suitable tutors
  • interested in politics
  • free time spent listening to music, singing, doing embroidery, playing chess.