Women’s Daily Lives

Women’s Daily Lives By: Madison Walsh Period 5/6

Poor Women’s Clothing Essential Question: What did poor women wear? • Made own clothes • Fitted Clothes • Woolen clothing, woolen socks • Linen undergarments • Long dresses • Headwear • Warm hats, mittens, scarves in the winter • Sleeveless tunics became a fashion • Undergarments were washed often • Leather shoes

Rich Women’s Clothing Essential Question: What did rich women wear? • Bright colored clothing • Better, expensive materials • Beautiful flowing gowns • Elaborate headwear • Headwear in shapes • Longer jacket lengths • Lavish jewelry and fur • Gems used as jewelry • Fur undergarments for warmth • Garnished with silver

Poor Women’s Fun Essential Question: What did poor women do for fun? • Women did many things for fun • Played board games • Bobbed for apples • Made riddles • Went on picnics • Enjoyed hunting w/ trained falcon • Sometimes combined • Reading to aloud or quietly • Writing poetry • Blind Man’s Bluff

Rich Women’s Meals Essential Question: What did a rich women eat? • Wealthy women had much variety • Meats were very popular • Good meats • Sprinkled meat in salt to preserve it • Many vegetables • Home- grown garden herbs • Didn’t have plates • Trenchers • Decorated meats • Put sauce on rotted meats

Rich Women Housing Essential Question: What houses did they live in? • Had wealthy stone houses • Only some brick; it was expensive • Half- timbered, half- brick • Houses had roofs • Most included stone ovens • Section of living room • Later on, chimneys were used often • Glass windows was used, too • Two or more floors • Servants slept on second floors

Poor Women Housing Essential Question: What houses did they live in? • Used sticks, straw, and mud to build • One room, one floor houses • Sometimes shared with their animals • Made houses • Wattle daub houses • Straw and timber • Wider and taller • Protection from weather • Barns • Used mud for walls

Poor Women Roles Essential Question: What was the role of poor women? • Worked on fields • Expected to work as hard as men • Gave birth • Had to obey any male member • If religious, became a nun • Supplied daily meals • Took care of the young children • Didn’t advance in skill groups • Took over business and land • House work

Rich Women Roles Essential Question: What was the role of a rich women? • Large role in society • More control than peasants • Ran estate when absent husband • Step in, take control • Made living • Had arranged marriages • Highly adored • Took care of children also • Beaten if misbehaved • Still had to obey males

Rich Women Education Essential Question: What was their education? • Encouraged for women • Education flourished • Learned privately • Attended school • Needed obligations • Better teachers • Education required for nuns • Permitted to join brothers sessions • Devoted time to learn • Studied languages

Poor Women Education Essential Question: What was the women’s education? • Most were illiterate • Educated before 14 • Studied Latin • Latin was English 1,000 years ago • Couldn’t afford education • Study books expensive • Reading, writing, etc. • Started at childhood • Ignorant upper class • Still had to obey males

Quiz Answer 1- 10 true or false: • Women didn’t wear undergarments. _________ • Rich women wore bright colored clothes. _________ • Rich women never played board games. ________ • Meats weren’t very popular. ________ • Some rich houses were half timber, half brick. ________ • Poor women used mud walls in their houses. ________ • Poor women didn’t have to obey males. ________ • Rich women had arranged marriages. ________ • Rich women didn’t have good teachers. ________ • All poor women could afford education. ________

Works Cited • N.p.: n.p., 2010. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/clothing.html>. • Knight, Eliza. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Web. 7 May 2010. <http;//historyundressed.blogspot.com/2009/09what-did-nobles-do-for-fun-in-middle.html>. • Medieval foods. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://library.think.quest.org/J002390/food.html>. • Medieval Life Housing. N.p.: n.p., 2008. Web. 9 May 2010. <http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/houses.html>. • Goloblatt, Noah. N.p.: n.p., 2008. Web. 7 May 2010. <http://www.helium.com/items/118885-what-was-the-role-of-women-in-medieval-society>. • Surfer, Job. Class Structure. N.p.: n.p., 2008. Web. 9 May 2010. <http://hubpages.com/hub/medievalwomen>. • The Education of Medieval Women. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ls20/medieval3.htm>. • Medieval Times & Castle. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.medievality.com/education.html>.

Women’s Daily Lives