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Women's Role In Medieval Society

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Medieval Societies during the 5th to 15th centuries were not a somewhat comfortable place for a lot of women of this time period. Medieval women of the middle ages had a very rough time in an era when many men had lived harsh lives--farming, war time fighters or servants. Only a few women lived subtle lives because the medieval society was completely dominated by men, and women had to adjust to the teachings and cultures of knowing their roles in such a time. The majority of women had little or no role to play when it came to making contributions to their countries or communities at large. It is noted in medieval arts that the place of women in society was dictated by biblical texts, namely, Eve having eaten of the forbidden fruit, being responsible for the "original sin" and the source of humankind's depravity. A woman's main role in the medieval village was not of power and privilege or that of a queen, but to marry at a very young age, managing the household, and tending to the needs of her husband and children. The most important roles of the medieval women were that of childbearing, which often came with its own complications. Since women had no …show more content…
Mainly, their fathers would pick fit able suitors to wed their daughters and age was certainly not a factor. The typical marital age of medieval women was around 15 to 16 years old. They married older men, sometimes men twice their age around 40 years old or older. After getting married, the women were responsible for managing the household, tending to livestock, harvesting, preparing the food, tending to the needs of their husbands, and of course bearing and taking care of the children. Men during this period were considered the most important members of the medieval society and were treated with honor, respect and admiration and were not expected to tend to their home or their children. This was strictly the role of medieval

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