Gender Roles In Margery Kempe

Throughout the Middle Ages and history, social ideologies have established that women were genetically inferior to men in the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects. This led to women being oppressed from any form of leadership position in the community, government, and the church. These changes were often heavily influenced by the church and current ideas in medicine and science. While most accepted it as a way of patriarchal society, there have been a select number of women who have resisted these societal confines and pushed to break the genders roles of the time. Of these women is Margery Kempe, a highly controversial figure in the 1400’s from late medieval England. Also considered the first autobiography, “The Book of Margery Kempe” …show more content…
This caused women to lose any type of personal wealth or social standing. Because of this change in inheritance women would lose any sort of personal wealth and social power, leaving them entirely dependent on men for financial survival. Ideologies of the time required for women’s main focus to be on taking care of the home and bearing children. In addition to their domestic chores, women were expected to behave in a proper manner when out in public. When interacting socially, “it was proper, in the normal course of affairs, for women to be subordinate and obedient to men.” Men were the sole providers of the household, and continued to maintain powerful positions in all aspects of society. These ideologies were implemented in all daily life and were taught from childhood. While girls were taught how to sew and take care of their younger siblings, the boys would go to work with their fathers and learn a trade. While women would instill the ideologies of the time on the young girls, men would also teach the boys that they were superior to women. By teaching young boys the way of a patriarchal society, this led to the further marginalization of