The Role of Women in the Renaissance Period

Introduction

The Renaissance was a period from the 14th to the 17th century in Europe, which is defined as the time of the revival of the arts. The Renaissance started in Italy, which was the hub of this revolution between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, between Europe and Eurasia. In this period, different art forms, such as sculptors, paintings, and architecture, took a new turn and defined new concepts in the field of art. The period began in the fourteenth century from the hub of revolution, Italy, and slowly progressed to all parts of Europe till the fifteenth century. The aim of this revolution was to follow the culture that was part of ancient Greek and Roman History. These new concepts of wisdom and art were initially directed toward men, and women were excluded from equal involvement in the revolution. It was the time when women were distributed in the upper and lower classes, of which the upper class was able to take part in the activities, but the lower class was extremely suppressed and was meant to give birth to the children and serve the men as servants. This revolution resulted in the empowerment of women who were suppressed in every field of life until then. This paper focuses on the role of women in the Renaissance period and how they handled their families, jobs, and daily life during this time; it will also compare the Renaissance women with the women of the Middle Ages. The role of women in the Renaissance period and their service in society became the reason for women’s empowerment, which was not possible in the Middle Ages.

Discussion

Women were initially not an active part of the revolution, and their social and economic status became a hindrance to their involvement. Until the sixteenth century, women were not an active part of the revolution, and their growth in new forms of art was suppressed by the strong power of a male-dominated society. We will further describe their roles in the period as mothers, working women, and an active part of society.

Women in the Renaissance held a high virtue about their family and their obligations. Women in the Renaissance were forced to look after the children and household and were suppressed by the males (Herlihy, David, 1995). They still managed to improve their way of life by presenting their daily obligations as part of their obligations. The disease outbreak of the 15^th century killed many of the people of the region and there was a need for someone to take the job roles that were necessary at that time, women started participating by performing in these jobs but they were suppressed by men. (Mitchell, Linda, 2012). In order to support families, many women took jobs as nurses and in Florentine shops.

The noble and lower-class women provided their services by taking jobs as wet nurses and in Florentine shops. Although they had their own families and own children, their service in jobs never changed their preference, and they actively participated in their household work. Their high virtue in participating in society motivated them to work as silk spinners, housemaids, and in bakery shops when they knew these jobs should be done by men, but they had to empower themselves and their families, so they resisted every movement made against them. (Ward, Jennifer, 2016).

The noble women expected their political rights from the government (Tomas, Natalie, 2017). They demanded their rights as respectable members of the society and asked for the opportunities to be provided in jobs (Chadwick, 1990).They demanded their rights in selecting their life partner which was a dilemma in the renaissance period and women were sold for dowry and to settle personal conflicts (Kirshner, Julius, 2015).

In the Renaissance period, women understood the need for education to keep up with the progressing world and achieve their status in their society. (Wyles, R., & Hall, 2016) the learning methods started developing in the 14^th century and were at their height by the end of the 15^th century. (Charlton, 2013) The education that women were interested in was mainly Greek and Latin literature. By the initiatives taken by humanists, women started learning art, architecture, and languages. The education opportunities had a difference in class. Most of the noble women received home education from experts in the field and learned the major subjects popular in English education at that time. (Hexter, Jack H, 1950) The poor class and widowed women, however, are seen struggling for their basic educational rights, and their progress was slow because they were not supported by the politics and government of the time (Wainwright, Anna, 2018)

The women in the Renaissance had a great interest in music and arts. The songs composed by women in the English Renaissance described the hardships and struggles that they went through. The initial composition of songs was done in St. Clare, Florence, by the members of churches. The songs were mostly in the form of chapels and sung by nuns. (Tomas, Natalie, 2017) The women artists of the Renaissance period developed amazing new techniques in their paintings. Their paintings, too, described the suppression made by men-powered communities of them. Their paintings highlighted the major problems women were facing and their struggles. Very few female artists received recognition and appreciation. Sofonisba Anguissola is one of these few artists who attacked women’s suppression by the power of her paintbrush. She described the major problems of that time by focusing on “women” as their main subject. (Chin, Lily, 2018)

Women’s role in the Renaissance became the reason for women’s empowerment. In the Middle Ages, women had no rights, and their roles were limited to housing premises for their husbands and families. There were concepts from the Bible that women are a reason for human mistakes, and they have no right to participate in society or social politics. After the Renaissance, women stood up against male superiority in society. They started participating in social jobs, politics, and education (Tomas, Natalie, 2017). They asked for respectable positions in society, and their efforts were fruitful when the government started giving them job opportunities and political positions.

Conclusion

The women in the Renaissance made huge efforts for their equal rights. They were suppressed in all job roles of society and were kept ignorant on purpose. After the Renaissance, women started to understand their place in society and started fighting for it. They started taking part in various jobs and learned the value of education. While they fought for equal rights as men, they never forgot their obligations and needs in their families; they continued to serve their families and people depending on them and, side by side, worked in various jobs as servants, nurses, and silk workers.

Works Cited

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