A wife’s role in the medieval society was some to none. Married women were not considered a part of society in the eyes of the Law. They were considered inferior to men by church and law (‘Laws and Rights” 1). For this reason they were subdued into a secondary class of citizens (“Laws and Rights” 1). “Politically women have no voice” (qtd in Gies 254), “They don’t sit on town council or in the court, or serve as provost or officials” (qtd in Gies 254). A woman, married or not, was expected to stay out of public life, leaving all social activities to men (“Laws and Rights” 1). “Women didn’t officially participate in governmental activit

ies, were almost never allowed to become citizens of a town, and had only limited independent standing under the law (McLean 24).

Medieval wives had more to do than just housework. In addition to feeding and clothing their family, they were also expected to join in all their husbands’ labors on the family’s holdings (Cosman 98). “One of the most important parts of the daily labor was care of the livestock” (qtd. in Gies 145). Also sometimes they participated in planting and harvesting which were considered part of the hard, heavy labor appointed to males (“Women in the Middle Ages” 1). Many of their other chores would be spinning, sewing, cheese making, foraging, gardening, weeding, haymaking, carrying and animal tending (Gies 41). Many wives also carried on a side industry. They were dairymaids, poulterers, bakers, and brewers of beer, and when there were excess quantities of food or drink, women could sell them within the community (‘Women in the Middle Ages” 1). These endless chores left them with little time for life.

Medieval women had a lot to deal with and I believe they were very brave. They worked as hard and as much as any man and if they got paid it was way less. They gave plenty of children to their husbands plus cooked and sewed. These women were supposed to obey the husbands. I bet, that without a doubt, this was very hard for many women. They worked hard. These women had practically no rights and a beating was just humor. Women were simply not understood back then.

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