Women’s Daily Lives

By: Madison WalshPeriod 5/6

Poor Women’s ClothingEssential Question: What did poor women wear? Made own clothes Fitted Clothes Woolen clothing, woolen socks Linen undergarments Long dresses Headwear Warm hats, mittens, scarves in the winter Sleeveless tunics became a fashion Undergarments were washed often Leather shoes

Rich Women’s ClothingEssential Question: What did rich women wear? Bright colored clothing Better, expensive materials Beautiful flowing gowns Elaborate headwear Headwear in shapes Longer jacket lengths Lavish jewelry and fur Gems used as jewelry Fur undergarments for warmth Garnished with silver

Poor Women’s FunEssential Question: What did poor women do for fun? Women did many things for fun Played board games Bobbed for apples Made riddles Went on picnics Enjoyed hunting w/ trained falcon Sometimes combined Reading to aloud or quietly Writing poetry Blind Man’s Bluff

Rich Women’s MealsEssential Question: What did a rich women eat? Wealthy women had much variety Meats were very popular Good meats Sprinkled meat in salt to preserve it Many vegetables Home- grown garden herbs Didn’t have plates Trenchers Decorated meats Put sauce on rotted meats

Rich Women HousingEssential Question: What houses did they live in? Had wealthy stone houses Only some brick; it was expensive Half- timbered, half- brick Houses had roofs Most included stone ovens Section of living room Later on, chimneys were used often Glass windows was used, too Two or more floors Servants slept on second floors

Poor Women HousingEssential Question: What houses did they live in? Used sticks, straw, and mud to build One room, one floor houses Sometimes shared with their animals Made houses Wattle daub houses Straw and timber Wider and taller Protection from weather Barns Used mud for walls

Poor Women RolesEssential Question: What was the role of poor women? Worked on fields Expected to work as hard as men Gave birth Had to obey any male member If religious, became a nun Supplied daily meals Took care of the young children Didn’t advance in skill groups Took over business and land House work

Rich Women RolesEssential Question: What was the role of a rich women? Large role in society More control than peasants Ran estate when absent husband Step in, take control Made living Had arranged marriages Highly adored Took care of children also Beaten if misbehaved Still had to obey males

Rich Women EducationEssential Question: What was their education? Encouraged for women Education flourished Learned privately Attended school Needed obligations Better teachers Education required for nuns Permitted to join brothers sessions Devoted time to learn Studied languages

Poor Women EducationEssential Question: What was the women’s education? Most were illiterate Educated before 14 Studied Latin Latin was English 1,000 years ago Couldn’t afford education Study books expensive Reading, writing, etc. Started at childhood Ignorant upper class Still had to obey males

QuizAnswer 1- 10 true or false:1. Women didn’t wear undergarments. _________2. Rich women wore bright colored clothes. _________3. Rich women never played board games. ________4. Meats weren’t very popular. ________5. Some rich houses were half timber, half brick.

________6. Poor women used mud walls in their houses. ________7. Poor women didn’t have to obey males. ________8. Rich women had arranged marriages. ________9. Rich women didn’t have good teachers. ________10. All poor women could afford education. ________

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Medieval Times & Castle. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.medievality.com/education.html>.