![]() Life expectancy for women rose during the High Middle Ages, due to improved nutrition. ![]() Women often died in childbirth, although if they survived the child-bearing years, they could live as long as men, even into their 70s. Midwifery was practised informally, gradually becoming a specialized occupation in the Late Middle Ages. However, there are recorded examples from the High Middle Ages of women engaged in a business other than that of their husband. Such partnerships were facilitated by the fact that much work occurred in or near the home. In addition, married women were generally expected to assist their husbands in business. Spinning was one of a number of traditional women’s crafts at this time, initially performed using the spindle and distaff the spinning wheel was introduced towards the end of the High Middle Ages.įor most of the Middle Ages, until the introduction of beer made with hops, brewing was done largely by women this was a form of work which could take place at home. 614–680), became influential on a national and even international scale. ![]() From the 5th century onward, Christian convents provided an alternative to the path of marriage and child-rearing, to play a more active religious role.Ībbesses could become important figures in their own right, often ruling over monasteries of both men and women, and holding significant lands and power. With the establishment of Christian monasticism, other roles within the Church became available to women. The first Council of Orange (441) also forbade the ordination of deaconesses, a ruling that was repeated by the Council of Epaone (517) and the Second Council of Orléans (533). Historically in the Catholic and other ancient churches, the role of bishop, like the priesthood, was restricted to men. The Roman Catholic Church was a major unifying cultural influence of the Middle Ages with its selection from Latin learning, preservation of the art of writing, and a centralized administration through its network of bishops. University of Glasgow Libraries, Wikimedia Commons ![]() Spinning by hand was a traditional form of women’s work (illustration c. ![]()
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