Gender Roles In Medieval Europe

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Medieval Markets and Gender Roles (Make a general statement about how all successful civilizations were created and upheld by the people working hard in the background who lacked status in society but were the ones truly responsible for its success and longevity.) In Frances Temple’s informative novel, The Ramsay Scallop, two young friends, Thomas and Eleanor, voyage on their pilgrimage to find God and seek penance. Medieval markets sold a large variety of goods that provided for the whole community. The markets were usually located in the center of towns so everyone in the town could shop there. Not only were the markets important to society, but so were the people that held it together. Medieval women contributed immensely to providing …show more content…
Medieval women contributed immensely to the structure and routine of everyday life. According to Ruth Johnson, a historical major at Wesleyan University, women were responsible for the development of the children. The women were responsible for caring and nurturing their children, which included providing them with food, clothing, and supervision. If something went wrong in a child’s life, the mother was blamed because she was the one who raised the child, therefore she was held responsible for her children’s misdoings. Women were also expected to clean and cook every meal of the day. If a family was wealthy, there could be paid help to assist in all the housework. Women were expected to please their husbands by keeping a clean and organized house. These standards for women are shown in the novel when Eleanor and Thomas pass a mother in the market with six children doing her best to gather goods for the family while keeping all her small children safe. When they are observing the hard working mother, Eleanor says, “without women like this woman, society would be doomed” (128). Eleanor has observed that this mother’s determination and patience …show more content…
Medieval women played a key role in society as mothers, wives, and companions. Without the critical roles performed by women, society would not have been able to play out the way it historically did. Women were held to strict standards in life, which included cooking, cleaning, and supervising the children. The medieval markets also played an important role of satisfying the needs of average people. Medieval markets supplied products that all people would need and thrive on. Products in the market were in higher demand for some people and lower demand for others. The merchants were heavily taxed in order to provide money for the feudal lords. In Medieval times, society was largely patriarchal because men made the money for their families, while women stayed at home and did not contribute financially. Today, society has progressed considerably because women are not always “stay at home moms” and get educations equal to those of men. Even though these days women are employed in all of the same fields as men, a significant wage gap exists, and women are underrepresented in positions of power in the economy and government. Also, in the modern-day marketplace, there are still instances of exploitation among those working to produce goods sold in the United States. For example, Tara Sullivan, author of books including “The Bitter Side of
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