Good Opportunities, Roles And Expectations Of Women Before And After Protestant Reformation Essay Example

In the medieval era, the stature of the women in the society continued to grow as some women took part in duties outside their homes. However, the small gains made in the medieval era were reversed during Protestant Reformation. Therefore, though there were few opportunities for women to explore their talents outside their traditional roles during Protestant Reformation, there were many challenges that restricted the development of women compared to the medieval era.
According to Smith, the best time when women were active in the church was a decade to the decision to break away from the Catholic Church. He further adds that “The Protestant Reformation both expanded and diminished” opportunities for women. There were many bottlenecks that women had to overcome with the advent of Protestantism. Women opportunities were diminished in the sense that for the few that were involved in interpreting and writing religious material, they had to justify why they were writing. Apostle Paul had given clear instructions that women should not write, and the Protestants felt bound by that decree. Therefore, the few women who had the courage to write on religious matters faced the challenge of getting people to accept their message. Many times, their material was judged on the basis of their gender instead of being judged on the basis of their content.
In the late Medieval Christianity, the abbesses in charge of certain convents were very powerful. They managed a lot of property and had “jurisdiction over many of their subjects. “ In Germany, for instance, the abbesses did not have secular overlords apart from the Emperor. Lower-class women could even perform some duties in the church as lay sisters. However, after the advent of Protestantism, some women were hated for their views, and they were hunted down by both Protestants and Catholics. Bishops wives were also not respected as they were seen as priest’s concubines.

Bibliography

Smith, Bonnie G. 2008. The Oxford encyclopedia of women in world history. Oxford [England]: Oxford University Press.