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Gender and Family - The public sphere

Q: What did the double standard mean for women?

Certain categories, such as witchcraft , were primarily associated with women, in most parts of Europe, and a double standard meant that women found guilty of adultery or premarital sex were usually punished more severely than the men involved.

5 important questions on Gender and Family - The public sphere

What are some examples of women in politics?

There were successes: Maria Theresa in Austria, Catherine the Great in Russia and several female heads of small German territories.

Where did women often occupy a signficant position politically?

Women often occupied a significant position at royal and princely courts, wielding informal power through the personal influence they might have with the king, minister or favourite.
Among the poor, women quite often became involved in popular politics of a very different kind, in riots and demonstrations, where gender could play to their advantage.

What did some women do to shame offenders?

By ostracizing, mocking or rebuking troublesome neighbours or violent unfaithful husbands, women might shame offenders into mending their ways, and if that failed, their pressure might trigger intervention by parish officers.

How was gender reflected in the judicial system?

Judges, lawyers and jurries were male, and the law regarded husband and wife as one person, the man.
That generally gave him control over the money and goods his wife had brought to the marriage and any money she might earn, though control over land she had brought remained more limited.
While all this was to the husband's advantage, he also became liable for any debts his wife might incur, and if they committed a crime together, the court would usually hold him solely responsible.

What did the double standard mean for women?

Certain categories, such as witchcraft, were primarily associated with women, in most parts of Europe, and a double standard meant that women found guilty of adultery or premarital sex were usually punished more severely than the men involved.

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Early Modern History

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