MAKING AN HONEST LIVING

Women of the Middle Ages didn't just carry out chores at home – they crafted, created and cultivated in all manner of environments

-  RHIANNON DAVIES

When picturing the medieval world of work, many might think it was exclusively staffed by men - men toiled out in the sun-baked fields, nurturing and harvesting crops; men thronged the streets of towns and cities, hurrying to their workshops or stores; and men earned coin on the battlefield, wielding weapons as they charged against their foes.

But such a view doesn't accurately reflect reality. In the Middle Ages, women were embedded in industry throughout Europe, working just as hard as their male counterparts. Much of this work took place in the great outdoors. In the medieval era, up to 85 per cent of Europeans were peasants, tilling the land and cultivating crops so they and their families could survive. Men and women both worked out in the fields, and there was a stream of jobs to do from dawn until dusk. Livestock needed to be fed (this was often solely performed by women, as looking after animals was seen as a 'feminine' job); seeds had to be sown in springtime; and when it was harvest season, every available hand was needed to help bring the crops in.

Although ploughing tended to be seen as more of a man's job, as it was a more strenuous activity, women still helped and, if they owned their own farm, they would certainly need to be handy with the plough.

BACKBREAKING TASKS

As well as tilling the land, female peasants also shouldered the additional responsibility of 'women's work' a slew of household chores. Women had to be cooks, brewers, weavers, seamstresses, parents and teachers all rolled into one. As Dr Eleanor Janega remarks in her recent episode of the History Extra podcast (see page 27): "There was an absolute surfeit of work to be done at all times. It makes me tired just thinking about it."