The
attitude toward women in medieval times, particularly held
by the Church, was that they were inferior to men. Generally,
women were taught that they should be meek and obedient to
their fathers and husbands.
In
reality, medieval women had a lot of responsibility and were
not at all inferior to men in terms of daily effort. Most
worked and did not stay at home. Many toiled alongside their
families in the fields, and some were employed in workshops
or were trades-women. Women sometimes had the responsibility
of running large estates, due to the death of a husband. They
settled local disputes and arranged estate finances. They
even took charge of defending castles or manors from attackers.
It was also not unknown for the medieval woman to lead troops
into battle.
Unmarried
women holding lands were powerful and had the same rights
as men. However, when a woman married, she forfeited her lands
and rights to her husband. Upon his death, she was entitled
to a third of the lands so that she might support herself.
Some unmarried women entered convents or nunneries where they
lived a life similar to a monk's. This afforded them the chance
to obtain an education or lead a devout life. Many nuns cared
for the sick and also became important figures in the community.
 Occupations
held by medieval women included shopkeepers, bakers, spinners,
alewives (those that brewed the ales), farmers, and silk weavers.
There were even some women writers. It was common for a woman
to hold more than one job because they were paid much less
than men, and in order to make an adequate income they took
on extra work. Being a spinner was the most common occupation.
Women spent much of their time spinning wool into coarse thread,
then weaving it into cloth and making garments.
Young
single women often wore their hair loose, but once married
almost all medieval women wore a linen wimple (wrapup) to
cover the hair. This was a sign of modesty. Other items worn
by medieval women included hair pins, prayer beads, leather
purses, woolen knee stockings, and leather shoes.
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