Did men and women have benefit equally from the Renaissance period.

Did men and women have benefit equally from the Renaissance period. The renaissance was an era of a rebirth in art, sciences, human rights and more. However was there a difference for women’s rights during the Renaissance era? This essay will be addressing two areas; economic opportunities, and role in society, and will determine that During the Renaissance period men and women did not benefit equally.
Throughout this era women were given little opportunity to work and were treated differently when working the same job as a man. During the Renaissance period men and women did not benefit equally, this can be determined through economic opportunities, and role in society. One example that shows how men and women did not benefit equally from the Renaissance period is through economic opportunities. Most women would become a house wife or a nun, however if they did not have a dowry they had to work. According to the article, Renaissance the daily life, it states; “Women who could not marry or lacked the dowry required to become nuns had to find work” (Nochlin, Sutherland, Harris) many women in the lower class had to work, and had to work the same jobs as men. Many jobs didn’t pay women fairly or equally to men. These caused women to work multiple jobs while still maintain their home. Women who were in the upper class didn’t work, however they still had many responsibilities. If the women’s husband were to die, she would take on in his position, and continue her regular routines at home. Even upper class women who had servants still had daily responsibilities, according to the article gender roles of women in the renaissance; “Upper class women may have had servants and workers working for them but the women were still expected to take care of the house hold” (Cloud). Even the upper class women had responsibilities as a house wife. However women in the lower class more than just household responsibilities, women who were in the lower class had to take care of their home and work alongside of their husband. The article Renaissance the daily life states; “Women in the lower class were expected to work for their husbands and help them run their business. They would work alongside with their husbands and then go home and take care of the house hold.” (Nochlin, Sutherland, Harris) the fact that women worked alongside with their husbands then go to their home to continue working while the husband doesn’t clearly shows that women were treated unequal to men and therefore During the Renaissance period men and women did not benefit equally, this can be determined through economic opportunities.
In this era men and women were given their roles in society and what was expected of them. During the Renaissance period men and women did not benefit equally, this can be determined through economic opportunities and role in society. One example that shows how men and women did not benefit equally from the Renaissance period is through their roles in society. Women during the Renaissance era were given set roles from society of what was expected for their future. Women were expected to get married and take care of her family and have of children, preferable boys. According to the article Women in the Renaissance, its says “Once married, a woman was expected to take care of the home, have children and maintain a decorous and chaste appearance so as to bring honor to both families”. (Women in the Renaissance) Women were business to men in this era, a man’s wife would have been picked out for him by the time the woman would have been in her teens. A man’s role compared to a women’s was very different, men were expected to get married and provide for their family. Men were often not home because they were either working or in the city. This article continues to discuss what women do when they don’t marry. Many families in the Renaissance era couldn’t afford to have more than one daughter get married; their second option would have been to become a nun. “In Renaissance Italy, most women from the upper classes had only two options in life: marriage or the cloister. Whether marrying a mortal man or Jesus” (Women in the Renaissance) A women’s life would of been planned by her parents, the women would either get married and became a house wife, or became a nun. Women have a dowry, which is money collected from the time of their births to give to their future husband to help pay for property or help with the husbands farm. A nun’s dowry was less money and therefore easier for women to become a nun, than to get married, which is what happened in many cases. Women didn’t have many rights, however according to the article Gender Roles of Women in the Renaissance; “Females were able to speak their minds but their thoughts and ideas were shaped by men. Mostly everything women did had input given by men.” Women were allowed to have voice their thoughts to their husbands however what the women thought was generally centered on what men said. Therefore in conclusion, During the Renaissance period men and women did not benefit equally, this can be determined through their role in society. Women were given roles from society that was not equal to men’s roles.
In conclusion through economic opportunity and roles in society women were not treated equally to men. Women were there to be seen and to take care of the home. During the Renaissance period men and women did not benefit equally, this can be determined through economic opportunities, and role in society. Work cited
-Cloud, Amanda . "Gender Roles of Women in the Renaissance." Cedar Crest College. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.