Research: High Middle Ages Essay

Submitted By nnncollier
Words: 640
Pages: 3

Describe and analyze the changing roles for women in Western Europe form 1000-2000 C.E.

Throughout time women have had many roles in society ranging from being a basic housewife to being a CEO for a multi-million dollar corporation. However, in Europe, the effects on major historical periods caused from a variety of reasons made women roles evolve, which eventually led women’s duties and opportunities to revolutionize. In Western Europe, the changing roles of women are shown through the High Middle Ages c. 1300, the Enlightenment c. 1700, and the pose effects of the end of World War II c. 1945. The High middle ages in Western Europe was where women started to see the first of their gender to conduct tasks other than what there ancestors did. At this time Western Europe consisted of medieval towns and cities that offered fresh opportunities for women. Alongside the men, women were butchers brewers, bakers, candle makers and shoe makers. With the High middle ages giving women an exercise of more freedom some women dominated occupations. Jobs of textiles and decorative art were mostly, if not all, controlled and managed by females who had much experience of this work before the middle ages. Also in the high middle ages guilds started to admit women making it so women feelings and opinions can be taking in consideration upon the men of that specific guild. Although the High Middle Ages brought great change for women roles, some women continued to perform the same kinds of work their foremothers tended to, such as being a house wife the entire day. The physical and new changes brought to Western Europe un-loosed the rope for women freedom but did not entirely give them full independence.
The status of women during the Enlightenment changed drastically however, women were still degraded in the new jobs that the Enlightenment brought out. Although women were able to work with men in the new urban economies on industrial jobs, the work they were given was harsh, cruel, and brutal. Also a rise of capitalism produced laws that severely restricted women’s rights. The highlight for the Enlightenment period was that the education of women simultaneously expanded in opportunity but degraded in quality. The wealthiest women were given the chance to study practically anything except science and philosophy, which was only for the men. The Enlightenment period was an era filled with advancing roles for women yet, much freedom and liberty was not fully