Gender Roles, Subject and Power

Nohelia Olivas
Blog Post 2

The Middle Ages were a time where women had little to no role. Men were the superior gender and women had to obey and listen to everything they had. Women had no rights during this time period, they were owned by their fathers and then later married off and would be owned by their husbands.. “By the feudal legal system organized around the control of property, there is evidence that their lives, as those of men, were also shaped by economic and social forces outside ecclesiastic control, at least during the period of the early Middle Ages” (Chadwick 44). Although women had very few roles, depending on their economic status they were able to do certain stuff. For example, women that were on the lower end of the feudal system had to work to help their husbands and fathers. Contrast, to the noble women that had to maintain a status and remained at home with the children. For the most part women did not receive much education unless they were sent to convents and become nuns. Hildegard of Bingen was one of the few famous women from the Middle Ages. She wrote books on visionary theology and is also known for her work of “Scivas”. Women existed during this time to serve men and have children, they had no role in the world.

Going into the Renaissance era women had more opportunities to be more than just wives at home. “Noblewomen, as well as many regular workers in linen thread, took up the art of lace-making”(Chadwick 68). This gave women something else to do then just sit around at home and do nothing. Women also took the roles of women artist but their work was not taken serious like the male artist. Chadwick states, “Most of the highly skilled artisans were now men; women were relegated to areas that required fewer skills, or skills of a kind that could be easily transferred to new households upon marriage”(Chadwick 68). Although women were able to move up and had more opportunities, when it came to the art world they were looked down on and their work was not recognized like the male artist. “Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the first woman artist in the history of western art whose historical significance is unquestionable” (Cacoilo). Her painting of “Susanna and The Elders” is a different perspective from how her father paints a similar painting. Women and Male views are different and these paintings are an indication of how were viewed in the male eyes.

Women’s labor in the 19C was essential to the building of colonial America. Women were now more involved in the community and had more of a social life than ever. Young girls were able to get education and go to school to learn how to cook, clean, and take care of children and eventually their husbands. Women rights were just beginning to start and progress so women still had to obey and listen to their fathers, brothers and husbands but they had just started to make moves in changing the way they were viewed and treated. “Needlework and painting were considered appropriate handicrafts for women and during the first half of the century women are well represented among American folk artists” (Chadwick 205). The work that women did during this time period were important. Famous ex-slave Harriet Powers used needlework to tell stories of the bible. Her needlework were very detailed and eccentric. Women were not there yet with the rights but they were getting somewhere. They used their artwork to send out messages into the world.

The Guerrilla Girls' Beside Companion to the History Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006 

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Thames and Hudson 2012.