Before the pill, before the liberalization of the right to divorce and before it became commonplace for women to have a lifelong career (even while married)-in short, any time before 1960-anything like real equality was unthinkable. Whereas First-wave feminism had focused on basic legal rights such as the right to vote, Second-wave feminism dealt with more personal issues such as the right to work, the right to sexual and reproductive freedom, domestic equality with husbands and partners, freedom from violence, etc.ĭuring the heyday of Second-wave feminist debates, feminist intellectuals tended to look backwards upon what they saw as an undifferentiated history of patriarchy. In the 1960s and 70s, the so-called Second Wave of feminism engaged with an expanded range of issues affecting women. The new material will ensure that the book continues to be fundamental for those wishing to gain real insight into all aspects of the lives of women in later medieval Europe.Did medieval women have agency? It’s a matter of perspective. As before, clear and constructive attention is given throughout to previous work, and this makes the book all the more useful as an introduction to a complex and growing subject. Giving more space to women’s work in both urban and rural contexts does still more to introduce the reader to groups of women who are often invisible in surveys of medieval history. The explicit consideration of women from minority groups, and attention to the issue of slavery, are very welcome, and open up valuable materials for discussion. "This new edition of Women in Medieval Europe is impressive both for the wide range of topics and issues covered and for the clarity with which they are presented. Katherine Allocco, Western Connecticut State University, USA Ward covers many centuries and cultures thus providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the era and with many examples of specific women who conformed to or resisted their cultural norms." Beautifully organized and thoroughly researched, each chapter provides insight into women’s lives and the social assumptions and patterns that informed their experiences. "This is an excellent book for an undergraduate or graduate course on medieval women. This fully revised new edition is a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the topic, perfect for all those studying women in Europe in the later Middle Ages. The latest research on women, gender and masculinity has also been incorporated, along with updated further reading recommendations. Particular attention is paid to women at work in the towns, and specifically urban topics such as trade, crafts, healthcare and prostitution. The chapters are arranged thematically to show the varied roles and lives of women in and out of the home, covering topics such as marriage, religion, family and work.įor the second edition a new chapter draws together recent work on Jewish and Muslim women, as well as those from other ethnic groups, showing the wide ranging experiences of women from different backgrounds. It considers the women of the later Middle Ages in the context of their social relationships during a time of changing opportunities and activities, so that by 1500 the world of work was becoming increasingly restricted to women. Women in Medieval Europe explores the key areas of female experience in the later medieval period, from peasant women to Queens.
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