Female labour, status and marriage in late medieval York and other English towns
The dissertation employs three major resources, viz. wills, poll tax returns and deposition material from the Church court, to explore a range of issues relating to the role of women in the urban economy of later medieval England. Despite the use of York material by way of a case study, an attempt has been made to set this evidence within a wider national and, to a more limited degree, European context. The relationship between women's economic opportunities and the prevailing marriage regime, and the social arrangements that underpin that regime, have been explored. Consideration has been given to the institution of service as a life-cycle function for both sexes, the nature and duration of service, the mechanisms by which servants were hired, and the relations between. servants and employers. The range of female economic activity has been fully examined and evidence presented for both regional and secular variation. The case argued is that the early emotional independence from I parents created by service, and the possibility of real economic independence outside marriage through servanthood and other employment, permitted women a degree of freedom to reach their own decisions about marriage and choice of
Goldberg, Peter Jeremy Piers
Female status in medieval GB
Female labour, status and marriage in late medieval York and other English towns. The dissertation employs three major resources, viz. wills, poll tax returns and deposition material from the Church court, to explore a range of issues relating to the role of women in the urban economy of later medieval England. Despite the use of York material by way of a case study, an attempt has been made to set this evidence within a wider national and, to a more limited degree, European context. The relationship between women's economic opportunities and the prevailing marriage regime, and the social arrangements that underpin that regime, have been explored. Consideration has been given to the institution of service as a life-cycle function for both sexes, the nature and duration of service, the mechanisms by which servants were hired, and the relations between. servants and employers. The range of female economic activity has been fully examined and evidence presented for both regional and secular variation. The case argued is that the early emotional independence from I parents created by service, and the possibility of real economic independence outside marriage through servanthood and other employment, permitted women a degree of freedom to reach their own decisions about marriage and choice of
female labour status marriage late_medieval york english town employ three_major resource viz will poll tax return deposition material church_court explore range issue_relate role_woman urban_economy later_medieval england despite use york material way case_study attempt_make set evidence within_wide national limited degree european_context relationship woman economic_opportunity prevail marriage regime social arrangement underpin regime explore consideration_give institution service life_cycle function sex nature duration service mechanisms servant hire relation between servant employer range female economic_activity fully examine evidence_present regional secular variation case argue early emotional independence parent create service possibility real economic independence outside marriage employment permit woman degree freedom reach decision marriage choice