Gender Roles in European Families in the 16th and 17th Century
By Tim Lambert
It is a myth that 16th-century women were meek and submissive. Some were potent-minded and they had more influence than is sometimes imagined.
In 1513 Henry Eight went to war in France. He made the queen, Catherine of Aragon, Governor of the Realm, and Captain-Full general of the habitation forces in his absence. In other words, he was willing to entrust the kingdom to her. In 1544 Henry went to state of war in French republic once more. This time he made Catherine Parr regent in his absence.
WOMEN'S Work IN THE 16TH CENTURY
In 16th century England women were not allowed in the professions (such as doctors, lawyers, and teachers). However, women were allowed to join some of the guilds (organizations of tradespeople and skilled workers). In 1562 a constabulary, the Statute of Artificers, made it illegal to employ a man or a adult female in a trade unless they had served an apprenticeship. However, in the case of women, the law was often not enforced. Very often the guilds (who regulated trade) let male members employ their wives or daughters in their workshops. Furthermore, if a craftsman died his widow frequently carried on his merchandise.
In the 16th century, some women worked spinning cloth. Women were as well tailoresses, milliners, dyers, and embroiderers. There were too washerwomen. Some women worked in food preparation such as brewers, bakers, or confectioners. Women besides sold foodstuffs in the streets. Furthermore, a very common task for women in the 16th century was a domestic servant. Other women were midwives. However, nearly women were housewives and they were kept very busy. Nearly men could not run a farm or a business concern without their wife's help.
In the 16th century most households in the countryside were largely self-sufficient. A housewife (assisted by her servants if she had any) had to broil her family's staff of life and brew their beer (it was frequently not safe to potable water). She was also responsible for curing bacon, salting meat, and making pickles, jellies, and preserves (all of which were essential in an age before fridges and freezers). Very often in the countryside the housewife also made the family unit candles and their lather. A 16th-century housewife also spun wool and linen.
A farmer's wife also milked cows, fed animals, and grew herbs and vegetables. She oftentimes kept bees. She also took goods to market to sell. On acme of that, she had to cook, wash the family'due south clothes, and clean the house. A 16th-century housewife was also supposed to have some knowledge of medicine and be able to treat her family unit's illnesses. If she could not they would become to a wise woman. Only the wealthy could afford a doctor.
Poor and center-class wives were kept very busy but rich women were non idle either. In a big firm, they had to organize and supervise the servants. Also if her married man was away from the woman usually ran the estate. Very often a merchant'southward wife did his accounts and if was traveling she looked afterward the business.
In their spare fourth dimension, rich women liked to hunt deer and hares with dogs. They also liked hunting with falcons. Wealthy women also played cards.
WOMEN'S EDUCATION IN THE 16TH CENTURY
Girls did not go to grammer schools. However, girls from well-off families were usually educated at home. Tutors taught upper-class girls. Centre-class girls were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and skills like sewing past their mothers. Merchant's daughters were very often taught to run their father'south business. Some women were taught to read by their husbands or by the parish priest.
In the 16th century, some upper-class women were highly educated. Two of Henry 8's wives, northward and n were well educated. (Catherine Parr was a famous writer). Queen Elizabeth, I was too well educated and she liked reading. Girls learned music and dancing and needlework. They likewise learned to read and write. They might also acquire languages like Greek and Latin, Spanish, Italian, and French. However, towards the end of the 16th-century girls spent less fourth dimension on academic subjects and more time on skills like music and embroidery.
Of grade, almost children in Tudor England did not go to school. Boys and girls from poor families were expected to get-go working and contributing to the family income from the time they were nigh 7 years erstwhile. Fifty-fifty in wealthy families, people believed that girls should not exist idle. Obviously, they were allowed some time to play but otherwise, they were supposed to piece of work due east.g. by weaving or reading suitable books. All children, whether male person or female and rich or poor were supposed to obey their parents and care for them with respect. Discipline was harsh. (Although children were precious).
MARRIAGE IN THE 16TH CENTURY
Most women in the 16th century were wives and mothers. Life could be difficult for spinsters. Ofttimes they lived with relatives but they had to work long hours to support themselves.
In the 16th-century marriages were usually bundled, except for the poorest people. Divorce was unknown. (Though marriages were occasionally annulled. That is, it was declared they had never been valid). Legally girls could ally when they were 12 years old. However, unremarkably it was only girls from rich families who married young. The majority of women married in their mid-20s.
Widows could inherit their married man'south holding. Bess of Hardwick was widowed iv times. She became a very rich adult female.
Childbirth could be unsafe in the 16th century. Some women died 'in childbirth' (actually they usually died subsequently giving nativity because the midwife's easily were muddied and the unfortunate woman became infected). Poor women tended to requite birth near once every ii years. Rich women gave birth more often, perhaps one time a year. That was because poor women breastfed, which reduced their fertility. Rich women gave their babies to wet nurses to breastfeed.
WOMEN AND Organized religion IN THE 16TH CENTURY
There were many independent-minded women in 16th century Europe with strongly held views on faith. Some of them were martyred including a adult female named Anne Askew, who was executed in 1546. Queen Mary was a Catholic and she persecuted Protestants. During her reign, 56 brave women were burned to death for their beliefs.
WOMEN'S CLOTHES IN THE 16TH CENTURY
In the 16th-century clothes were usually made of wool or linen. Just rich women could afford cotton and silk. All the same, there were many grades of wool. Y'all could purchase expensive fine wool or inexpensive, coarse wool.
16th-century women wore a kind of petticoat called a smock or shift or chemise made of linen or wool and a wool clothes over it. A woman's dress was made of ii parts, a bodice, and a skirt. Sleeves were held on with laces and could be detached. Working women wore a linen apron.
In the late 16th century many women wore a frame made of whalebone or forest under their clothes chosen a farthingale. If they could not afford a farthingale, women wore a padded roll around their waist called a bum curl. Nevertheless, in the 16th-century women did not wear knickers.
Rich women enjoyed embroidery. Many of their clothes were embroidered even hats and shoes.
In the 16th century, all women wore hats. The poorest women wore a linen lid called a coif. In the early on 16th century women wore hats chosen gable hoods (because they looked like the gables on the finish of roofs). Yet, Anne Boleyn introduced the curved French hood into England. And so, in the late 16th century bonnets became fashionable. Rich women wore ostrich feathers in their bonnets.
It was stylish for wealthy women to accept pale skin (if you were sunburned it showed you were poor equally yous had to work in the hot dominicus). Women whitened their pare with egg whites or white atomic number 82. They reddened their lips and cheeks with cochineal (a dye made from crushed beetles).
From the 14th century to the mid-17th century laws called sumptuary laws laid down what each class could and could not article of clothing. In the 16th century, complicated laws said that only persons of a sure rank could wear certain expensive materials such as velvet and silk. (These laws, of grade, fabricated no difference to poor people since they could not afford 'sumptuous' materials even if they wanted to). The laws were supposed to keep the classes distinct and easily recognizable. You were supposed to be able to tell which class somebody belonged to by his or her dress. Yet, the sumptuary laws proved to be unenforceable and many people simply ignored them.
My Youtube video about women in the 16th century
Last revised 2022
Source: https://localhistories.org/women-in-the-16th-century/
0 Response to "Gender Roles in European Families in the 16th and 17th Century"
Post a Comment