Explain How Guilds And The Putting-Out System Created Opportunities For Women

How Guilds and the Putting-Out System Created Opportunities for Women

QUESTION: How did new economical systems like guilds and the putting-out system create opportunities for women in the middle ages?
INTRODUCTION:
Opportunities outside the house were slim for women in the middle ages, but when guilds and the putting-out system were instated, the economy increased and so did work opportunities for women. Guilds were associations which controlled the trade in the particular towns or cities they were located in (Gale). The putting-out system was another form of trade during the middle ages and involved using a third party when creating goods for trade (Smith). Both guilds and the putting-out system created opportunities for women by giving

them jobs outside their homes, jobs that showed their capabilities, and by involving them in community responsibilities.

BODY PARAGRAPH:

Guilds and the putting-out system both created new opportunities for women that were beneficial for the development of women’s roles in society. Medieval society was completely dominated by men, and women were forced to know their place (Hanawalt). If a woman worked in a guild, she had to report there often and be out working on trade deals in other parts of town. This allowed women to serve a purpose beyond both the literal walls of their homes and figurative walls of control that men held up against them. During the middle ages "women were regarded as weak, irrational, and subject to temptation”(Ward 3), and adding systems like guilds, where women were often faced with challenges, they were able to prove themselves and show their full capabilities. Guilds were most commonly ran by men, but sometimes there would be female apprentices or even sometimes all-women guilds. Giving women the same positions as men allowed them to begin to prove that they were as capable as men. "In urban centers women might move through a variety of jobs, including service, vending, and crafts" (Murray). With systems like guilds, women were able to have stable jobs within the community without having to worry about moving through a variety of jobs. In the end, when these new economical systems were added to the medieval society, women were able to benefit in many ways, including being able to find their purpose outside of work in the house, and utilizing their skills and find stable jobs within the community.