Role Of Women In Early Modern Europe

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world” said Hillary Clinton. Today there is still so much work needed to improve the rights of women. Even though the role of women has dramatically changed since early modern society, we still face problems of inequality. It is difficult to believe how different the role of a woman in early modern Europe was compared to today when we are still not satisfied with the role that women are allowed to play. However, it is arguable that Ariosto would agree with Hillary Clinton. He believed that by the sixteenth century women had, “arrived at excellence in every art in which they have striven” and that “in their chosen fields their renown is apparent to anyone who studies the history book.” Though throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth century women were increasing their part in society, the role of women in early modern Europe remained a role of subordination and inferiority to men based on religion, education and social status. In early modern Europe, religion had a lot to do with the patriarchy of the society. A …show more content…
“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God.” Christ, a male, is the head of the church, therefore males were the head of the state and the head of the house. A family was like a little state in which the father was the head and the wife and children were subordinates. With the male as the head, women were required to conceded their power to them. It is also important to note that God, despite having no gender, is always referred to as “He.” Lastly, in various religions, especially Christian faiths, sex was a negative thing. Since women could show their sexual activity when they got pregnant, they were seen as having “an inability to control effects of sexual activity.” This proved to men that women had an “immoral