Not all single women and widows chose to live for the Church, but still had to find a way to survive. While many of these women lived in poverty, there were those who found ways to thrive in medieval society. Because they were the weaker sex, women had to find private ways to bring in incomes that would not shame or offend the men of society. According to Williams and Echols, women became money lenders and got involved in shipping and trading. These are both trades that brought in plenty of income, but did not overtly throw women into public eye. These women could still maintain their domesticity and bring in an income. While Heloise did not relate to these women because she was stuck in the Church, she related to them because she understood
