Monday, March 31, 2014

How were the lives of male and female peasants different?

The Middle Ages in Europe was the timeframe from the 5th to the 15th centuries, also referred to as the Medieval period. During this era, there was a strict set of structural norms that dominated society. People were born into specific classes and typically stayed within that class for the duration of their lives. Tradesmen and peasants were the lowest-ranking classes, followed by the clergy, knights, nobles, and finally the king, who held the highest status. Clothing, food, marriage, homes, religion, and so on were all predetermined, and people did not typically “move up” to the next class, no matter how hard they worked.
Men and women were treated and perceived very differently at this time. The role of a male was to function as the head of the household, with his wife considered his property and thus treated by him however he wished. As part of this arrangement, men could divorce their wives, but women could not divorce their husbands.
Most peasants farmed the land owned by a lord, who rented it to them in exchange for the farm labor they provided. As per this agreement, peasant men were also required to fight if war broke out. As the head of the household, men were deemed the breadwinners and in charge of the farm duties. However, women were also often required to work in the fields, especially during the busy harvest season. In addition, peasant women had many other domestic responsibilities, including caring for children, preparing food, and tending livestock. It was also the role of women to fulfill fundamental home manufacturing duties, such as brewing, baking, and textile-making.
http://www.medievalgender.org.uk/masculinity-in-medieval-times/

https://westernreservepublicmedia.org/middleages/feud_peasants.htm

https://www.bl.uk/the-middle-ages/articles/women-in-medieval-society

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