Women In The Renaissance

The Renaissance began in northern Italy, between 1300 and 1500. Men and women of this time were on two separate spectrums. Men were masters of many fields of work, charming, witty, well-educated, well-mannered, athletic, and self controlled. Kings, queens, palaces and lavish parties, these are all things that lit up the middle ages. However some things were not as extravagant. One of the not-so-extravagant parts of the Renaissance was the life women had to endure. Though men and women could both be royals, neither endured the same treatment. Life for men and women were drastically different. A few women lived comfortable lives, but Medieval society was completely male dominated and women had to know ‘their place’ in such a society. Life for
A woman was controlled by her parents throughout her childhood, and then handed directly into the hands of a husband.Women had no choice in who their husbands would be because they had no control. The parents were in control. A Father's desire to strengthen his family's position in the community was valued more than the daughter’s personal feelings towards a life long partner in marriage. Also Father's would often pawn their daughter off to a rich man to strengthen their fortunes. Their new husbands would exercise control over them until their death because women had no control. Marriage for women was not about love, it was about alliances. Families married for wealth, women's feelings were not deemed significant in the least. “Family was the basic unit of this time and blood ties were of high importance.” (na 14) Women were seen as useful only for creating a heir. So many women spent the majority of their married life pregnant. However, childbirth was dangerous as medical care was very poor during this time. It is thought that as many as 20% of all women died in childbirth and it was the most common cause of death among young women. Large families were considered the norm as the mortality rate for children and infants was so high. Many Medieval woman made arrangements for the care of their children in case they themselves were to die during childbirth. The
Life for renaissance women was hard because they couldn't live independently, were denied any political rights, and had no say in who they got to marry. Women were strictly prohibited to live alone during this time. If she did not have a husband or a male relative to accompany her, she was sent to a convent. There, women only had one choice and that was to be a nun. Women also had no political rights. Women having any sort of voice in the political world was completely unheard of at this time. Women were to always be kept quiet. Women also had their marriages arranged by their parents and were almost never allowed to marry for love, but for alliance. Once married, their only true purpose was to create a heir and to bear children. If there were any era that portrayed the true essence of double standards, it would be the Renaissance. Kings allowed to have mistresses, while queens could be tried for adultery and beheaded. During this time period women were dehumanized while men were placed on a