Patriarchal System In The 16th Century

The patriarchal system was used by Europe to govern the people. This system was one in which the males had absolute power over the women and children . The idea of male dominance stemmed from the Bible, medicine, and law. It was thought that women were weak and vulnerable. Therefore, women needed to be ruled in order to stay away from witchcraft. These women of the sixteenth century had very little opportunity to possess items such as land. They worked for their husbands and took care of the children. In this essay, I will address women’s work, education, marriage, family life and childbirth during the period of the patriarchal system. To begin, the domestic service of women played a key role in the success of the society. While

If one was to marry, she would gain a sense of security, property, and support from her husband. The typically age for marriage was in the late twenties usually around age twenty five. The way marriage was determined was different depending upon the social class which one was a part of. Most upper class women had their spouses chosen for them, because family relationships were important. These relationships were dependent on the dowry, which was the piece of land, money or household item which was given to the husband in exchange for taking the wives hand in marriage. This dowry was used to tie the two families together. The husband was then responsible for taking care of his wife and the upholding their political status. Unlike elite women, the middle and lower class women had more freedom to choose which man they wanted as their husband. Their dowry was usually a piece of land or household item, as they could not afford to provide their spouse with a huge portion of money. These women would take on the role of being a housewife, while their husband would gain more political rights and more prestigious employment within the community. The females with no means stayed unmarried. The unmarried women would become nuns and live in convents. These unmarried individuals had more freedom within the convent. They learned to read and write and they could voice their opinions through

Childbirth in the sixteenth century was very traumatic for women. Women had a vast amount of pressure on them to produce a baby boy that would inherit the land from their father. Without technology and much medicine, labor was painful. Labor often ended in tragedy either to the baby or the mother. For example, three out of the four wives of Phillip ΙΙ pasted away from unforeseen complications during the birth of their child. Before having a child it was especially important to have a menstrual period. The blood required purification in order for a healthy baby to be born. During the birth of a child, the father would not be present. Instead, the mid wife would be there to take care of the mother throughout the entire process of labor. Mothers were very affectionate with their children even though most of the births ended in still born babies or miscarriages. Along with pregnancy comes abortion. Abortion was against the law during the sixteenth century even if you were unmarried. There were severe consequences if one were to have an abortion of her baby. One of the punishments included being drowned to death. All abortion was illegal; many mothers still managed to escape the work of breastfeeding. After the birth of an infant, the mother would typically hire a wet nurse. These wet nurses were extremely sought after, because they would allow the mother to be free from the work of