The Roles Of Women In Elizabethan Society

The roles of women in Elizabethan society were incredibly restrictive. The social constructs of Elizabethan society dictated that men were to be the breadwinners, whereas women were to be mothers and housewives. Childbearing was seen as a great honor to a woman as a child was a blessing from God, therefore women of the era took great pride in motherhood. Women, on average, would bear a child every two years—but due to the high infant mortality rate, families were not very large.
Women could not enter professions, as it were, though they could be domestic servants; maids, cooks, wet nurses, and the like. And, though women could write, they could only write works such as translations or religious text, seeing as such subjects were decreed suitable for women. Females were not allowed to act out any plays, either--a woman on stage was disrespectful and dishonorable, so young males played female parts. (Funny, how times have changed. Nowadays if a male were to play a female role on stage, he 'd likely be ridiculed.)
Additionally, women were also regarded as the “weaker sex” in reference to physical and emotional strength. It was a common belief that women always had to …show more content…
If a couple married purely for love, it was considered extremely foolish—however, love could occur in the process of marriage. It was widely agreed upon that friends and relatives were better suited to look out for one 's best interest. Correspondingly, marriage negotiations, arrangements, and recommendations were often left to that party and out of the hands of the people set to be married entirely. Although such was not always true. Lower class population typically had more say in the matter of their marriages, seeing as they were oft married to children of family friends, whereas upper class married nobility they might 've never met simply for wealth and