The Changing Role of Medieval Women

Abstract

In his Perspective “Women, fertility, and the rise of modern capitalism” (25 October 2013, p. [427][1]), A. Alesina correctly pointed to the importance of the Black Death, alongside new Protestant ideas, in transforming Late Medieval European economies. He and other economic historians have noted that the Black Death substantially reduced the population of rural producers, bringing better returns to labor by comparison with earlier periods. Alesina also argues that women's fertility decreased as their labor in the fields increased. Alesina did not mention the export industry or social unrest, both of which contributed to economic changes and the status of women during this time. In the 14th century, England was becoming a major exporter of high-quality wool products. Initially, the benefits from these exports were enjoyed by the elite. However, centralized control of production was inefficient, and there was little to motivate their obligated labor force ([ 1 ][2]). Raw wool export also was increasingly supplanted by more local cloth production ([ 2 ][3]). The changing wool economy drew more female producers into the labor force. Women took jobs in weaving, basic production, and the growing service economy. The social unrest that characterized this period also contributed to women's changing roles. Growing commerce brought new opportunities for women, not only as producers, but also as marketers. As E. P. Thompson pointed out ([ 3 ][4]), women were often the leaders in riots in the marketplaces because they were more involved in market transactions than men, they understood market conditions in detail, and they had much to gain from institutionally improved market conditions. 1. [↵][5] 1. R. Hilton , Class Conflict and the Crisis of Feudalism: Essays in Medieval Social History (The Hambledon Press, London, 1985). 2. [↵][6] 1. R. Britnell , Britain and Ireland 1050–1530: Economy and Society (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2004). 3. [↵][7] 1. E. P. Thompson , Past Present 50, 115 (1971). [OpenUrl][8] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1246228 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [7]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [8]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPast%2BPresent%26rft.volume%253D50%26rft.spage%253D115%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx