WHI-Chap20-Obj3
How did the status of women change during the High Middle Ages???
Contents
Women in the Countryside
Roles for women in the countryside did not change drastically. They still had the same jobs their ancestors in the middle ages had.
- Weaving
- Household chores
- Care of domestic animals
Women in Medieval Towns and Cities
In medieval towns and cities women could find much more work and had many more opportunities than those that lived in the countryside. The status of women began to rise as they had more responsibilities and had the same jobs as men. Some of these jobs were...
occupations
- Butchers
- Brewers
- Bakers
- Candle Makers
- Fishmongers
- Shoemakers
- Gemsmiths
- Innkeepers
- Launderers
- Money Changers
- Merchants
Occasionally Occupations
- Physicians
- Pharmacists
Dominated Occupations
- Jobs involving Textiles
- Sewing
- Weaving
- Spinning
- Making of Hats, Wigs, and Fur Garments
Guilds
In the High Middle Ages women were able to join guilds. Though not all guilds let in women many did, while others were exclusively for women. By the thirteenth-century in Paris, out of 100 guilds 6 were women only and 8 were men and women. The guilds increased the status of women by making them in the same group as men, making them almost equals.
