Patriarchy In The 17th Century

Women in the 17th century were faced with many difficult challenges as they were seen as not equal to men until the early 1900s. They were faced with the task of living in a patriarchy that gave them little to no opportunities to express themselves or their talents.

The roles of a woman in any household were narrowed down to a housewife. No matter if they were a noblewoman or a commoner all women were expected to stay at home, prepare the household and respect the orders of their husbands. A woman who was unmarried was to keep quiet and respect the orders of a father, While widows had more jurisdiction of their own decisions. Women, children, wards and servants were seen to be instituted by god and nature and the patriarchal role was seen to be analogous to god in the
Women often wore a linen garment called a shift under their long dresses, the dress was often in two to four parts including the bodice, the stay and the short gown, over was worn a skirt, it was not uncommon for women to wear two skirts at a time, and richer women would wear accessories such as sleeve ruffles, petticoats, capes and cloaks. Women were not allowed to leave the house without a hat or headcover. The stay was used almost like a modern corset except much more dangerously, these stays were made of metal, wood, pasteboard, or pack thread. Their exteriors could be covered in fine silks, utilitarian worsteds, or plain linens. These were used to cinch the waist and keep a good posture. Many women were expected to make their own clothes, their children's clothes and their husband’s clothes. The larger and more colourful the dress was, the more wealth you would appear to have. Often peasants would wear less colourful dresses with less fabric while noblewoman and queens were often seen wearing large and very colourful