Women In The 1600s: Jobs, Education, Cloths & More

Life Of Women In The 1600s: In the span between the 1600s and 1700s, sweeping changes converted both the public social lives and independent family lives of the British people. Widened proficiency, combined with The recovery showed the British people to increasingly public life. There were also clear class divisions that were popular in the realms of both home life, outward social life, and education. New developments in recreation, commercialization, and industrialization also moved to conversion in both entertainment and occupations available.

Additionally, new fashion directions came onto the scene. This page tries the social structure of England, its impression on life, both private and public, as well as the new developments that changed the way the people spent their leisure time. There was a clear gap between the prosperous and the poor, which made itself visible in almost all forms of life, but there were certain areas where the class was unimportant.

Women’s Jobs in the 17th Century

• In the 17th century, some women had jobs. Some of them worked spinning cloth. Women were milliners, years, and embroiderers. There were also washerwomen. Some women worked in food-making such as brewers, cooks, or confectioners.
• Women also sold foodstuffs in the streets. A very common job for women was a home servant. Other women were obstetricians and apothecaries.

• Most men could not run a farm or a business without their wife’s help. However, most women were housewives and they were kept very busy.
• In the 17th century, most households in the countryside were largely self-sufficient. A housewife (supported by her servants if she had any) often had to bake her family’s bread and brew their beer (it was usually not safe to drink water). She was also capable of curing bacon, salting meat, and making pickles, jellies, and preserves. Very usually in the countryside the homemaker also made the family candles and their soap. A homemaker also spun wool and fabric.
• A farmer’s wife also milked cows, fed animals, and cultivated herbs and vegetables. She often kept honey bees. She also took goods to market to sell. On top of that, she had to cook, wash the household’s clothes, and bright the house.
• The 17th-century housewife was also pretended to have some intelligence of medicine and be able to treat her family’s illnesses. If she could not they would go to a knowledgeable woman. Only the wealthy could afford a doctor.
• In the 17th century, poor and middle-class wives were kept very busy but prosperous women were not idle either. In a big house, they had to regulate and conduct the servants. Also if her husband was away from home then the woman usually cares about the estate.

Women’s health in the 17th century

Women’s medical roles go on to widen in the 17th century, especially regarding the care of dependents. They served nursing homes for the homeless and sick poor, and also looked after quieted and orphaned children, pregnant women, and psychopaths.

After 1700, the workhouse evolution undermined many of these roles and the parish nurse became narrowed largely to the rearing and nursing of children and newborns.

Women’s education in the 17th century

• In some cities, young girls might go to woman schools where they were taught techniques like reading. During the 17th century, boarding schools for girls from better-off families were begun in many towns. The girls were tutored subjects like writing, music, and needlework.
• The first women’s pamphlet was The Ladies Mercury published in 1693.
• Famous English women of the 17th century added the philosopher Mary Astell (1666 – 1731) and the writer Aphra Behn (1640 – 1689).
• Elena Piscopia (1646 – 1684) was a great Italian woman theorist. Marie Le Jars de Gournay (1565 – 1645) was a French writer. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a famous scholar born in Mexico. Clara Peeters (born 1594) was a famous artist.
• A German woman, Maria Clara Eimmart was a noted astronomer (1676 – 1707). So was Maria Cunitz (1610 – 1664).
• In 1637 Amye Everard Ball was the first woman in England to be granted a patent (for making pigments from flowers).
• In the 17th century, almost women were wives and mothers. Life could be hard for single women. Often they lived with relatives but they had to work long hours to support themselves.

Women’s Marriages in the 17th Century

• Over ninety percent of English women (and persons, in general) get in marriage in this generation at an average age of about 25–26 years for the spouse and 27–28 years for the bridegroom.
• Among the dignity and aristocracy, the average was around 19-21 for spouses and 24-26 for bridegrooms.
• Many city and townswomen wed for the first time in their thirties and forties and it was not unexpected for orphaned young women to prevent marriage until the late twenties or early thirties to help set up their younger relatives,  and approximately a fourth of all English wives were pregnant at their weddings.

Women’s Clothes in the 17th Century

• In the 17th century, women wrapped a linen nightie like garment called a shift. Over it, they wear long dresses. The dress was in two parts the bodice and the skirt. Occasionally women wore two skirts. The upper skirt was stacked up to reveal an underskirt. However, women in the 17th century did not wear undergarments.
• From the mid 17th century it was trendy for women to wear black patches on their faces such as little stars or curve moons.

FAQ’s About Women In The 1600s

How Was Life In The 17Th Century?

By The Late 17Th Century, Even Poor People Mostly Lived In Houses Made Of Brick Or Stone. They Were A Big Advancement Over Wooden Houses. However, During The 17Th Century Stacks Became More Common And By The Late 17Th Century, Even The Poor Had Them. Furthermore, In 1600 Glass Bay windows Were A Luxury.

What Was Life Like For Colonial Women?

The Lives Of Women During Colonial Times Were Distinct Than From Today. Women Were Supposed To Get Married, Have Children, Work In The Home, And Execute Their Husbands. The Restrictions Put On Women, They Played An Important Role In The Growth And Endurance Of The American Colonies.

What Did Children Do In The 17Th Century?

In The 17Th Century Children From Well Off, Houses Went To A Form Of Kid School Called A Petty School. However, Only Boys Went To Element School. Upper-Class Girls (And Sometimes Boys) Were Tutored By Tutors. Middle Glass Girls Might Be Tutored By Their Mothers.

What Was The Role Of Women In The 1600S?

A Very Common Job For Women Was Home Servant. Other Women Were Obstetricians And Apothecaries. However, Most Women Were Homemakers And They Were Kept Very Busy. Most Men Could Not Run A Farm Or A Business Without Their Wife’s Help.