Women role during the Renaissance
The
Role of Women in the Renaissance
Introduction
The
society during the Renaissance period was patriarchal in nature and the role of
women during this period was just in the backdrop of the men’s roles. Just like
in the Middle Ages women in Renaissance were denied participation in the
politics, which was legally considered as the domain of men. The women
irrespective of their class were expected to play and perform in the roles of
housewife. The women in the class of peasants worked in the farm hand in hand
with their husbands and performed the duties of running the home. The women of middle
class merchants and shop owners in many times helped their husbands in running
the businesses. On the other end, the wives of the elite class, though were
attended by a number of servants, were often involved in the household tasks,
cooking, entertaining, and sewing among other chores (Brown and McBride 48). In
this view, the role of women during the Renaissance was specifically household
duties as well as just acting in the background of the men’s roles supporting
them.
Role
of Women in Marriage during Renaissance
Marriage was
considered as important role in the women life and those who did not marry were
however, not allowed to live independently. The society instead ensured that
they lived in the male relatives’ households or they were encouraged to join
the convent. Although education had gained momentum in the renaissance period,
education for women was limited for the patriarchal society had the fear that it
would greatly interfere with the traditional roles. There was fear that
educated women would transform the society. The women who after acquiring
education embraced individuality and independence were, in fact, looked down
upon as they lived outside the social norms boundaries and were often labeled
as witches. This was just a move to maintain the status quo of men in the
society and ensured women were beneath them in the social order. The political
arena and the government were dominated by men in the Renaissance and this
point to the inequality that existed pushing the role of women in society to
the periphery. On a few wealthy women in the Renaissance were able to break the
chains of patriarchal subjugation. Through this deviance, such women were able
to achieve just fame but not independence (Adams
18).
Life
of Women during Renaissance Period
The
Renaissance society had laid expectations for the women. Patrick (195) argues
that the life of the Renaissance women revolved around marriage, bearing
children and the main job was in the household taking care and running the
chores of the household. This meant that their roles in the society were
limited. The unmarried women could not live independence as this was against
the social norms: thus they were placed under the care of their male relatives’
households and not given any role to play in the society outside those of
household. The society imperatively had clear expectations from the women and
men where the men significantly played the role of breadwinners, and the women occupied
the role of mothers and housewives. On average, the society expected the women to
give birth to a baby every two years. Many of the children and babies died from
diseases then and the families were not always that large as a result of the diseases
that killed the young children. According to Kuehn (61), the expectations of
the society on women was that they should bear children to continue the existence
of the society, and childbearing was thus highly regarded as a great honor to
women and children were considered as a blessing from God. Many women in the
Renaissance thus to pride in being mothers.
Gender
inequality contributed to the inferior roles of women
Women
during the Renaissance were to some degree given the opportunity to work but
the working environment was quite discriminating in the sense that such women
were paid less on the same job where their male counterpart worked. Gender
inequality was rife during the Renaissance period, which to some extent
translates to alienating women in participating outside the household
activities. This meant many women remained unemployed in their lives so as to
ensure they remained the depending on men. Their lives during this time and the
social norms then maintained the status quo of the patriarchal society where
the women remained tenaciously under the confines of the patriarchy. Literature
of the Renaissance clearly depicts the place and role of women then and
attempts thwarting them from breaking away from the patriarchal society. The
society confined their lives role in the running of households, childbearing,
and in marriage as housewives who were admired by their enterprising husbands.
Although “behind every great man, is a woman” and yet the society never noticed
the important role women played in society (Merriman 56).
The
lives of the women who could not marry and were not wealthy were required to
join the convent and become nuns. Those who tried to live independently had to
make a choice of living under their male relatives as the social norms
required. If they sought jobs, which were also undertaken by men, the pay was
significantly low yet their male counterparts were paid more. This was a
strategy to alienate women from participating in the public sphere, which was
dominantly a male zone. Analyzing their role from this perspective, it is true
to conclude that the women had little control over their own fates in society since
all the important roles that influenced the society were reserved for men. There
was no divorce and marriage lasted as long as the man and wife lived during
Renaissance period (Saari and Saari 308).
Women
Education in Renaissance
The
Renaissance period is linked to development of contemporary thought, progress
of science, as well as the idea that a person can ultimately shape his or her
own destiny. The education that women were given during the Renaissance was
just limited to ensure they could read and write. The rampant education was
viewed as an aspect in raising social consciousness, which would eminently
undermine the traditional values and roles and upset the tenets of patriarchy.
Therefore, women were not given importance in education for the fear it would be
detrimental to the social norms and social set up. The men did not see the
importance of education to women then, which explains why the women were not given
education then (Major 132). However, disparity was exercised in education during
the Renaissance where the women from elite class only up to some extent, whereas
those women of lower status wanting education were only encouraged learning so
that they could become nuns. Generally, the Renaissance education endeavored to
ensure that women performed the housewife duties properly as well as make them
good mothers. The inequality that existed in the Renaissance society did not care
the participation role of women in the society thus educating women was seen as
waste of time. Educating them was not aimed at making them professionals but
only to ensure they performed their duties at home properly (Levi 299).
Significant
Educated Women even denigrated in Society
The
little education women in Renaissance received was tailored only to make them
workers especially where they were hired to do farm work. In the views of Brown
and McBride (93), the women were the majority in the household servants in the
elite class and also in the middle class. Those who were educated, especially
the daughter brought money to a country family when she was send out to be
hired in a day labor. The daughters who were not strong could do nothing for
the family. They were advised to practice chastity so that they could bring
dowry to the family. They were only taught womanly stuff and when they were married
off and would ultimately be an asset if they gave birth to a son. The education
women in the Renaissance received were for only give them skills and knowledge
in writing, cleaning, embroidery, and to efficiently carry out other household
chores. They also were taught how to behave in public and when they are with
their husbands. It is obvious that the education women received during the Renaissance
period was male oriented and was not aimed at increasing their roles or
participation in the society (Majors 92).
However,
there are important women in the Renaissance whose role in politics is seen as
a great deviation from the social norms of the Renaissance society. Elizabeth was among the women
who were born the elite people in the Renaissance period. She was born in the 7th
September 1533 at a time when sons were highly valued to continue the family
lineage as well as takeover kingdoms. Unfortunately for Elizabeth’s
father, he had two girls where Elizabeth
was one of them and became the queen. During Renaissance, Queen Elizabeth
became a very important figure in the England’s history. Since women were
considered the weaker sex, Elizabeth
tried to prove this as a myth because like men, women can equally play the politics
and handle leadership in public sphere as well. Queen Elizabeth tried to
encourage the noble men during Renaissance to take their daughters to school
and ensure they get education something they did to only please her (Merriman 61).
Roles
and their Portrayal of Women during the Renaissance
As
earlier discussed in this paper, women role in the society was limited and
mostly they took active roles in the households, marriage, and in childbearing
as well as in helping men in running businesses and in the farm. Women were not
permitted to enter in professions for instance, medicine, law, politics, and if
they took jobs like painting they were employed to work under men. Those who ventured
in writing works of literature were allowed to do so if it only suited the
subject of women, which was mainly religious works or translations (Merriman
45). Inequality persisted in this society because even in theatre the constraints
of the patriarchy were deep rooted. The society did not allow women to act plays
on public stage or write the same plays for public stage. Acting was in fact considered
shameful for women and this trend did not stop until in the seventeenth century
in England
where women could participate in plays. To fill the roles supposed to be acted
by women in theatre then, the women roles were played by young boys in the
plays of Shakespeare (Estep 548).
Further,
women were regardless of the social position they held as important members of
the society, they were not allowed to cast their votes when important matters
and decision of the leaders to lead the society. In fact the political arena was
reserved only for the elite or those from high social class. Only certain men
from certain social position had the privilege to vote. Women also were not
permitted to inherit the title of their father, which were only passed to brothers
or sons according to the circumstances at hand. Women could not inherit land
and estates, and only those children from affluent and noble families were
heiresses to property. However, the only exception involved the crown as it was
the case of England.
A daughter could be given the crown and also all the Majesty and power of a king
if there was no other male heir (Adams 73).
Depiction
of Women roles in Historical Literature
Niccolo
Machiavelli in his Renaissance literary works Mandragola and The Devil
Takes a Wife depicts the society and how it upheld the role of women during
the Renaissance period. There existed inequality in the society then and women roles
were according to the confines of the patriarchy. With the status as they were
during Renaissance, women could not hold positions in the government and other
public spheres. The works of Machiavelli portrayed women in negative light as a
way to justify the prevailing degrading and unequal treatment of the women by
the men in the society (Levi 301). From the ideas presented by Machiavelli in
his two works Mandragola and The Devil Takes a Wife, women of the
Renaissance are depicted as the trouble makers in marriage as opposed to
obediently caring for their husbands. Even in the historical literature, women
are portrayed as powerless in the Renaissance society and did not take active
roles because the social norms and expectations did not advocate for their
participation. This is just a biased side of the story because women had their reasons
in somehow revolting against the petty tyrant of oppressive and self-centered
husbands. In The Devil Takes a Wife, Machiavelli
depicts women as greedy, prideful, and manipulative whereas in Mandragola they are presented as
annoying, unintelligent, and dependent of men. The truth is that no space has
been given to prove their worth and these portrayals are biased and inaccurate
judgment on Renaissance women (The Florence Newspaper 1). The women contributed
greatly to the society according to Renaissance society but in the background
of men who took centerstage in politics, governance, and other roles in the public
sphere because of the Monarchy (Major 264).
Conclusion
The
role of women in Renaissance societies is just like in other patriarchal
societies that do not offer any space to the women to prove who they really are
in the society. The roles of women in Renaissance era were just in marriage,
childbearing, and in running the household chores. For the women in elite
class, although were attended by a group of servants, they were expected to
actively participate in entertaining husbands guests, cooking, sewing and other
chores in the family as well as caring and nursing the children. The middle
class women were to help the husbands in running businesses but not own their
own businesses and property. The women from the peasant class worked in the farm
alongside their men as well as performing duties at home. One would be right to
say that the role of women in Renaissance period were specifically performing
household duties and acting as backdrop of men roles in the society. The education
given to the women was to only enable them become better housewives, perform
their household chores better as well as ensuring they do not take up
professional jobs and transform the traditional social setup.
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