The Role Of Women During The Renaissance

The Renaissance quite literally was the rebirth of European civilization, the Renaissance period saw the rediscovery of classical texts which contributed to the new ways of thinking in humanism as well as the explosion of art which reflected this new way of intellectual thought. The Renaissance put an emphasis on rational thought and held human beings at the centre of life. However, this paper will argue that the effects of the Renaissance were not felt by everyone equally, women in particular were adversely affected by Renaissance ideals and therefore did not equally benefit from the Renaissance as men did. In a society that restructured to be dominated by patriarchal ideals and structure women lost the influence and power they previously had, before the beginning of the Renaissance period. Gender roles increased in the period, as women were seen as objects, were considered the weaker sex and
Most of the women in this period did not have access to the humanist education that was enjoyed by males. Women saw the lose of their power and standing in terms of their sexuality, economic and political roles. Joan Kelly’s influential essay, Did Women Have a Renaissance? she argues that while the males of Europe enjoyed intellectual growth, women were often stripped of their previous prestigious positions and forced to go back to living conditions in which they had little control and influence.

Women in the Renaissance lost their power in both their sexuality and relationships, female sexuality became regulated in comparison with males. In feudal society, the courtly love tradition allowed powerful women who owned property, to satisfy their own emotional as well as sexual needs. Courtly love in medieval times allowed for woman to have power within their marriages, and they also had some say in who they