Women’s rights in the renaissance

Schooling•M

ost women would only get a basic education in reading & writing at the local village school. Although some girls went on to grammar school, many grammar schools had signs declaring they were for Males Only.

•Upper class women who came from wealthy families might be taught by tutors if their family desired it. However, much of their education was in piety (religious devotion), chastity (sexual purity), and home economics.

•Women were expected to marry – women could have no career or profession.

•Some clergymen even debated at this time whether women had souls.

Legal Rights•A

marriage was typically arranged by the parents. To marry for love was very rare. Typically a match was made based on monetary considerations, and it wasn’t unusual for the bride and groom to not see one another until the wedding.

•Wives were morally and legally obligated to obey their husbands in absolutely everything. A woman was legally considered to be her husband’s property.

•A wife would take her husband’s last name and she was would also take his place in society.

•Women had no control over any of their property. If she had lands from her family, her husband had control of them. If she had any physical property, her husband had the right to do what he wanted to with that, right down to her clothes.

Behavior•T

he ideal woman was soft-spoken, obedient, quiet, and submissive. It was thought that a woman’s personality should mirror her outside appearance – soft and delicate.

•If a woman was outspoken, she was less desirable. She was less likely to be married. Men did not value women’s independent thoughts or opinions.

•If a woman was angry and disagreeable, she was often referred to as a shrew.