THE MIDDLE AGES: A WOMENS LIFE

BY: LANESA M.BARABINO

EDUCATION
Education was directly related to the church A womans education was not first priority Daughters of high stature received formal educations, due to having obligations that required literacy Low stature girls were taught by mothers
Basic house duties Basic medical practices Prepping for marriage

MARRIAGE
Marriages were solely political arrangements Girls were wedded as young as 12 years old
Also expected to be pure and untouched

A womans status was defined by her husband By marrying she pledged her obedience to her husband Disobedience was seen as a crime against god, its a form of blasphemy and punishable by death

SOCIAL STATUS/ CHIVALRY

A womans power grew with her rank Rank was determined my husband or closest male relative Respect increased with chivalry Chivalry was a moral, religious, and social code of knightly and courtly conduct

COVENANT
Women who were not as privileged as royals and nobles only other life alternative was marriage or the covenant Many women decided to devote their lives to God because of the opportunities Nuns had the opportunity to learn how to read and write
Some even composed music and created great literature

The convent allowed many women to have longer life expectancies Nuns had a available medical care

JOBS
Few women lived the rare life of business woman Towards the end of the middle ages women were offered jobs outside of home
Due to men away at war; women had to learn their husbands businesss when away

Solo jobs consisted of being midwives, shop owners, merchants and teachers