Women and Children in the Elizabethan Era

880 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women's social status

During the Elizabethan time period women were considered the weaker sex. They were thought to always need a man in charge of them. The man in charge of her could be her father, employer or husband. Children were expected to obey their parents and help out whenever needed. I believe women were more equipped to be the head of the family since they had to care for the children and manage the house daily.
An average day for a woman consisted of several responsibilities such as cleaning, cooking, marketing, care for domestic livestock such as poultry, pigs and dairy animals, child care, and basic health care. A woman was also expected to know how to brew ale and maintain a garden, which provided food to eat and sell, and herbs used for medicine. (Forgeng 5) Occasionally they would also need to assist their husbands with haymaking, harvest and trade. (Forgeng 6) Women were expected to get married and have children. (Ros 7) The lower a women was in the social class the more likely she was to choose her own husband because there was nothing being lost or gained from the marriage. In richer families the father would choose the husband because the marriage would benefit the family with land or money. (Ros 4) If a woman was unmarried and had no children she would be considered a disgrace to her family. (Ros 12)
Women were allowed to work but only at part time jobs. The jobs women could have included the following: wet nurse, petty teacher, tutors, spinning, knitting, seamstresses, laundresses, servants, and street vendors. A woman had to obey their husband since he had the final say; however, if he became abusive, the wife could seek help. The first attempt would be her neighbors and ministers using informal methods such as putting pressure...

... middle of paper ...

...uring the Elizabethan time period. I disagree with the way women and children were treated neither sex nor age shouldn’t affect your level of importance.

Works Cited

Forgeng, Jeffery L. “Children in Elizabethan England.” Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014
Forgeng, Jeffery L. “Family Life in Elizabethan England.” Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. web. 21 Jan. 2014 < http://dailylife.abc-clio>
Papp, Joseph, and Elizabeth Kirkland. “Family life in Shakespeare’s Time.” EXPLORING Shakespeare. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resourses in Context. Web. 22. Jan.
Ros, Maggi. “Children and Childhood.” 14, Mar, 2010. 21 Jan. 2014
Ros, Maggi. “Love and Marriage.” 25, Mar, 2008. 21 Jan. 2014

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Margery Kempe And Elizabeth I's Letter To Sir Walter Raleigh

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    The English attitudes towards gender are reflected in the literacy works of Margery Kempe and Elizabeth I’s letter to Sir Walter Raleigh. Within these two works, the women, especially, challenge the attitudes towards gender roles. First of all, women were expected to be domesticated, meaning all their duties lied within the home and the marriage. The women were responsible for taking care of the children/family and being obedient to their husband.

    Read More

  • The Taming of the Shrew and Henry V by Shakespeare

    2326 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Shakespearean time and even up to the turn of the 20th Century men were expected to be the sole provider of the family, entailing them to be either well educated or hard working. They were also expected to be good with the handling of finances and property. It was also acceptable for them to be barbaric, boisterous and socially well connected. This has given the men of this time an overwhelming sense of power, respect and freedom; rights which were not given to women at this time. Far from what was socially acceptable in regards to men, the gender identity of women was of a somewhat weaker nature. Women during Shakespearean time were regarded as docile, quiet and non-opinionated. Their socially acceptable role in many cases was to be domestic, entailing them to spend countless hours in the home, tending to basic familial needs, such as cooking and cleaning. This position prevented many women to receive an education or to socialize outside of the home. As a result of their inferior social status, they were expected to be submissive and to cater to her husband’s needs at all times. Women in Shakespearean time were also treated as property, either by their husbands or fathers, which diminished any sense of self-worth they may have possessed. This gender ideology ultimately paralyzed women, as the majority were helpless to alter their social standing or designated familial role.

    Read More

  • Women's Inequality In The 1930s Essay

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some of women in this time period’s family roles are very similar to what is expected of them today. The most common jobs were “domestic work, including teaching young females their roles for later in life, cleaning the house, and preparing food” (¨DeVault¨). Men would often be working during the day. Women's jobs were very crucial because if all they did around the house. Not all kids were able to attend school so it was up to the mother. Though not every one was married at this time, “common arguments against married women working were that they were taking jobs away

    Read More

  • Sonny's Blues Thesis

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thesis Statement: Men and women were in different social classes, women were expected to be in charge of running the household, the hardships of motherhood.

    Read More

  • The American Prairie In The 1800's

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the contrary to some beliefs, the women did more work than you would expect. Since the men were usually working in factories or in the 1860’s fighting in the war, the women had to pick up a lot of slack. They would be a mother to the children, do all of the housework such as cooking,

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing"

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, gender role in Elizabethan era is very complex with respect to women’s role. Men are the masters of the home and society; they preside over every aspect of life. They are however, expected to take care of their family and also be actively involved in politics, war, and they inherit their father’s properties. Women role varied a according to their social status. All women were raised to be subservient to men. Unlike upper class women, lower class women were denied any kind of education. And all women are expected to get married and bear children. The qualities Shakespeare gave Beatrice are very significant because it contrasts traditional Elizabethan theater. Gender role has evolved over time, especially women’s role and it will continue to evolve as long as there are women like Beatrice around.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In William Faulkner's Barbie Doll

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    Social restrictions have always been placed on women even today. The role of women is much different today than it was in the past. Women were not allowed to make major decisions in the family and were expected to submit in all things to the husband; they could not own anything and they were expected to stay home and do housework.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Igbo Tribe

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    The woman was raised to be a great spouse, to play maternal acts, to be able to care for her spouse, to be devoted, to be proper, and to assist him with money and watch over her kids and care for the home through selling, retailing, and planting. The female was made to be industrious from her dad 's home so it would be beneficial in her spouse 's home (Oluwagbemi-Jacob 227). Women have several different roles throughout the house and on the land. The females had several more jobs than the male does. Oluwagbemi-Jacob stated “The females make the fire, do the cooking, and serve the meals etc… The females would sweep the kitchen and the rooms of the family houses…

    Read More

  • Elizabeth I: A Woman in a Man's World

    743 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a frail son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?

    Read More

  • Women and African American Roles After the American Revolution

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women, in general, were expected to be able to run their homes, taking care of their spouses and children in whatever form was needed at the time. They were looked down on as uneducated without the ability to understand the more intricate knowledge of politics and the running of businesses of any kind. They had no rights except for what they received from the graciousness of their husbands. Their opinions did not matter, in the long run and they were treated as inferior, expected to stay in their place unquestioning and unassuming.

    Read More

  • Elizabeth I: A Woman in a Man's World

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gender was the leading cause of distress in the 1500’s: King Henry VIII wanted nothing more than to have a son, yet was “cursed” with the legacy of a sickly son, whom died before the age of 18 and two daughters, one of whom broke every convention of her gender. Queen Elizabeth I never married nor had children, yet can be considered one of England’s most successful monarchs. By choosing King James VI of Scotland as her heir, unbeknownst to her, she created the line that leads to the modern Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The question posed is then, how did Elizabeth I’s gender affect her rule?

    Read More

  • Medieval Women Roles

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    If they did work, the jobs were considered to be of little importance. Their jobs were always considered secondary to men. Usually, a woman’s job was to take care of the house and please her husband. Women who tried to have a ‘higher’ job such as a nurse, was considered a witch. So women tended to work in the lower jobs or one a man didn’t want. Women during this era might have been a lady of the manor, nun, free townswoman, etc. The Lady of the Manor was a woman who ran manors, farms, and castles. She normally dealt with the management of the land, crops, animals, property, workers, and legal arguments. This was always considered a ‘woman’s job.’ A woman could also be a nun. A nun’s main job was to ‘work’ for God. Typically a woman’s job was to be a free townswoman, meaning they kept order of their townhouse and also assisted their husbands in business. The woman would help him in his trade or practice her own. It was rare for a woman to have any other jobs, especially one with a lot of

    Read More

  • Women: The Role Of Women In Shakespeare's Othello

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Elizabethan society, it was expected for women to be obedient and to be in her place.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Shakespeare A Man Ahead Of His Time

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the times in which Shakespeare lived, women had certain roles which ensured they were a permanent underclass to men. In Women in Shakespeare’s world by Theresa D. Kemp, Kemp states that “The roles of early modern women included daughters and wives, sisters and mothers; they learned and worked and played but for the most part they were not expected to be school girls (whining or otherwise) As women they were expected to be the slightly beautiful beloved and not the balladeer. Women were not seen as fit to play soldier or the judge. And as keepers of the homes and the households, as in our own time, women withdrawn from a “world too wide” ( 29). This quote from Kemp shows how victorian women were seen a just a pretty face to do as told. They were to be obedient and non opinionated. A woman of that time period was very objectified and used, basically women weren't real people.

    Read More

  • Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    The eighteenth-century British society was divided along social classes and gender roles. Males were considered to be better in exercising leadership,while women were believed to be better at nurturing and at managing domestic matters. During this period women were deprived from exercising their rights and had limited roles in society. Women were not allowed to vote, own property and most important were denied the right to receive an equal education as men did during this time. Women were deprived from the ability to acquire knowledge and exercise their reason. Marriage was the primary goal in their lives. Not everyone agreed how society had been underestimating the capabilities of women. Wollstonecraft, did not agree on how women were perceived and wanted to make change. she wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women,where she stated the reasons why women have been perceived as objects. She felt parents and schools have contributed the neglection of education for women. As result, women were portrayed as weak. Mary Wollstonecraft had very unique opinions about the role that education played in the lives of women and argued powerfully how disadvantaged they were in society.

    Read More

More about Women and Children in the Elizabethan Era

Open Document