Question

essay on women's power in medival and modern period

Answer 1

Life for Medieval Women: Medieval society was completely dominated by men, making a women’s life at the time difficult. Medieval law at the time stated that women could not marry without their parents consent, could not divorce their husbands, could not own property unless widows, could not inherit land if they had surviving brothers, and could own no business with special permission (Trueman, “Medieval Women”). When a woman married a man, he would get any property she owned and she would forfeit any rights she had to him. When the husband dies she would get one third of the land to live on and support herself. Unmarried women who owned land had the same rights as men (Hull). Whenever a woman got into trouble it would be her closest male relative who would appear in court, not the woman herself
Medieval Women The roles of women in early Anglo-Saxon culture were strictly defined. Women were viewed as possessions and served the function of the peace-weaver. In this role women were married off to warring tribes to promote peace and were to perform duties such as passing the cup from warrior to warrior during ceremonial functions. Women in Anglo-Saxon culture possessed virtually no autonomy and consequently were consistently at the mercy of their lords or husbands. The sense of isolation and desperation felt by these women is captured in the “The Wife’s Lament” as the speaker describes her inability to control her own situation..
Modern life of women: he status of women in the older centuries differed greatly from how they are for women in more modern times. Women were often treated less like people than men were, and it was difficult for women to earn any respect. In Medieval Europe specifically, the status of women changed in very few ways over the course of one hundred and sixty-four years. In the time period from 1750 to 1914, women had very few options when making choices and their lives were set in stone in basic routines, although the strict rules of marriage were lightened about one hundred and forty years into the time period...