West European Studies

Introduction
Femininity is often referred to as the unique qualities that can be attributed to the female gender. It can be said to be a model, or even a cast to which all women are based upon. Such characteristics range from beauty, grace, poise, gentleness, weakness, birth and motherhood to a range of other possible definitions (Stuard 1981). One unfortunate aspect of a model or a cast is that while it is a basis to which a particular object, perception or idea is based upon it can be considered constraining as well. That instead of allowing for variation it seeks to create the exact image over and over again without fail. A characteristic which allows no apparent flaws but allows no improvements as well. Such is the case of women in the eyes of men during the early modern period of human history, the Renaissance.

While it is true that the Renaissance era can be considered the rebirth of learning and intellectual thought it was also a time characterized by the strengthening of the economies of numerous European states and along with it the resurgence of the Catholic Church as an influential force in peoples lives and perception. As a result of the growing economy and wealth of the populace women werent needed as much as a force of labor in society as such they were relegated to an inactive and enclosed role where they were suppose to stay at home and tend to the needs of their husband and family (Wolfram 2006).

This cultural trend towards the isolation women within households is evident by numerous paintings notably from Italy during the 16th century which show portray women as being inside an enclosed structure peering out from small windows or with men peering in to look at women (Encyclopedia of Women 2008). Combining this with the social influences of the church at the time resulted in an overall social perception of women as having to be beautiful, delicate, more of a listener than a talker, reserved, polite, and graceful. At the same time biases against women also appeared due to these perceptions such as weakness, being incapable of the same level of work as man as well as being intellectually inferior (De vivo 2004). The end result was an overall perception that men were superior to women due to the traits of femininity that were attached to women that portrayed them as the weaker sex.

While women in the Renaissance era were able to enjoy the benefits of living in a civilized age they had to contend with a cultural perception that prohibited their growth or even acceptance into certain professions, restricted their freedom and in the end prevented them from going beyond the perceptions that society labeled them as. This paper will seek explain the concepts of femininity attached to women during the early modern period and will show the end result of these perceptions on women to see if in they were positive or negative for women at the time.

Perception of Women and the Concept of Femininity

Women living in Europe during the early modern period of history were heavily restricted in what they were allowed and not allowed to do based on societal rules and perceptions at the time. This ranged from possible careers, to who they will marry even to the places that they were allowed to go to. This was due to the fact that during the 16th century and even the subsequent centuries after that society was mainly patriarchal with an emphasis placed on the value of masculinity over that of femininity. This was due to the fact that men as being the providers were considered more important than women due to their ability to provide a means of living for the family. What must be understood is that during the initial stages of the Renaissance economic prosperity spread towards the different European states. This was unlike previous centuries marked by turmoil and economic disparity where both men and women were needed to provide a means of living for the family (Cohn 2002). As a result of this prosperity women were no longer needed as a secondary source of income thus a cultural perception developed where they were suppose to remain at home and tend to the needs of their family.

It was due to this that the importance of women in society beyond that of a mother and child bearer started to diminish. What rose in its place was a standard of femininity that all women were based upon and made to conform to due to societal pressures. These standards were characterized by a subservience to their husbands, the ability to bear children and take care of the household all at the same time (Cohn 2002). In other words the concept of femininity during the early modern period was one of motherhood, childcare, subservience and the ability to take care of a household. Such characteristics remained unchanged due to several factors namely the church, cultural perception and the Renaissance as one of the heights of patriarchy.

The Church
The influence of the catholic church on the society and the way of thinking of people at the time is not to be underestimated. Its influences can be seen in the works of art influenced by Catholic religious motifs dating back to the 16th century and even well before then. It has been a driving force of political action, wars and societal changes as evidenced by numerous instances in history. As such it makes sense that with the influential capacity of the church it would also have the power to influence societies view about women. During the early modern period of European history the church espoused that women were the origin of sin while at the same time venerated Mary the Mother of Christ as being exempt from this status due to the miracle of her own birth and the birth of Jesus Christ.

Thus the result was that the church continuously espoused a message wherein women should be more like the Virgin Mary in word and in deed. In bible history Mary has been shown to be a woman of great faith in the Lord while at the same time showing herself to be a good mother as well as a good wife to Joseph. She is portrayed as being very demure, possessing great strength of character and an apparent subservience to her husband as characterized by her unquestioning faith during their journey away from Bethlehem at the behest of Joseph in order to escape the purge of King Herod.

These messages imparted by the Church created the basis by which the feminine characteristics of women at the time were to be determined. Namely that of faith in their husband, subservience and being a good mother (Moore 2010). The end result was the embedding of a cultural perception of a womans worth as being her ability to care for her home, husband and children.

Cultural Perception of Women
As a result of the social conventions associated to women by the church the end result was that women were perceived as being the weaker sex useful only as means of bearing children and taking care of the household. This was due to the fact that since women were perceived as weak and were kept within homes without a means of improving themselves they in the end became what they were perceived as. It was due to this perceived weakness that women were not allowed to enter certain professions, receive a proper education, or find a means of being independent. This further cemented their predilection towards thinking that their usefulness lay in ensuring a tidy household and childcare.

In numerous painting from the 16th century, primarily from Italy, a vast majority of them portray women as wearing extravagant forms of dresses and gowns which were in style at the time but at the same time it is shown that these women were inside houses with small windows with the women always facing in some direction as if staring at something. This style of portraying women was due to the commonly known fact at the time of having women stay indoors with the only means for them to see the outside world is through the windows in their homes. The windows are depicted as being small since looking through windows is only a fraction of what is truly outside the walls of their confinement.

Not all women during this time period accepted the ways that society dictated for them however these women were often shunned by a majority of society and as a result further enforced the need to conform to those who didnt have the willingness or the strength to rebel against methods which sough to control and imprison a person without bars or guards. Thus it can be said that the aspects of femininity attached to women during the time period that they were in became a means of confinement and restriction. Creating a means by which they are controlled by a dominant patriarchy that allowed no one to assail their reign.

The Renaissance and Patriarchy

Due to the teachings of the church, economic prosperity and cultural perception men during the 16th century became the supposed stronger sex. As accorded by their ability to enter into numerous professions and bring substantial funds back to the family. It was actually due to gender biases by the male half of the population that prevented women from entering certain professions that stopped them from being able to rise from a greater status than that relegated to them by a patriarchal society (Cohn 2002). It was due to all these factors combined that resulted in male dominance over women due to characteristics associated with femininity that all women were expected to follow due to societal compulsion.

Repercussions of the concept of femininity in the early modern period

Lack of Education
It was due to the concepts of femininity attached to women during the 16th century of childbirth, homecare and subservience that the need for a proper education was never attributed to their gender. The commonplace belief was that since women had no other purpose besides that of taking care of the household and childbirth as well as childcare they didnt need to have an education from institutions of higher learning (De vivo 2004). While there were exception to this rule with a few notable women able to attain a distinctive educational background the majority were not able to avail of this privilege. At the time there was an ongoing belief that men were not only physically superior to women but mentally as well. Obviously such a belief was due to the fact that as a result of cultural perceptions that denied women a proper education in institutions of higher learning they of course inevitably wound up the way they were and the perception lived on.

Women who were able to transcend such notions were though of as heretical, unbecoming of the state of womanhood and as a result were at times shunned or even made social outcasts. It must be noted though that theoretically if the cultural perceptions brought about by perceived notions of what a woman should be did not exist women would have been able to attain a similar status as men in many fields as evidenced by modern day women today who are able to compete if not excel in fields that were traditionally reserved only for men.

Lack of Freedom
Due to the perception of the need of subservience attributed to women their lives were in the hands of their fathers or husbands. Marriages were arranged despite the lack of any form of love or interest in the opposite party. Women were treated as assets wherein dowries given to them by their family at the start of the marriage are all in the hands of their husband. As such they had little financial freedom, could not easily leave their husbands and the concept of divorce or annulment were next to nonexistent (Furguson 1994).

As a result most marriages that started in abuse ended in abuse as well with few options for the women abused to escape the marriage. When mentioning a lack of freedom this doesnt just mean their inability to escape from a life of married subservience but also an inability to rise in a profession. While it is true that women were not allowed to work in certain professional careers they were allowed in some such as weaving. In cases such as these though women did not have the freedom to rise up from their current positions rather they were always overlooked the company adhering to a  bias of  choosing males over females for promotion.

In fact women at the time could work for years in a single factory with no possibility of promotion as compared to a man who worked there for a year and would readily be inline for one. The last lack of freedom is an inescapability from the role that society has determined for them in form of childbirth and being a mother (Ferguson 1994). Today women have a choice as to whether or not they would have children. They can choose either to focus on their careers or have children or even both if possible. In the 16th century women who got pregnant were no longer allowed to work and as such could expect a life of being stuck at home caring for the children of her husband for the rest of her life (Wolfram 2006).

No Voice in Political Proceedings and a Lack of Certain Civil Rights

Women at the time lack any hearsay in the political proceedings happening within their countries due to the perceived mental deficiencies that women supposedly had compared to men. When it comes to the politics the supposed femininity of women associated with homecare and motherhood is apparently incompatible with the needs of politics. As such during the 16th century onwards up till the 1900s with some notable exception such as Elizabeth 1 women were unable to have a voice in how the country was to be run (Cohn 2002). Not only that but they also lacked certain civil rights namely the right not to be treated as mere property by their male counterpart. It was only during the past 100 years or so starting in the middle of the 1900s during the advent of the womens rights movement that women started to have an equal position as men in both politics and society.

Women in Society Today
It was due to the advent of the womens rights movement during the middle of the 1900s that the concept of equality for men and women started to develop. Today women are able to enjoy the same rights and privileges as men. Gone are the days wherein women had to subvert themselves before their male counterparts. Women now can enjoy the ability to have equal career opportunities with men and as such have the ability to be promoted to higher positions. With social change also came the ability of women to divorce and annul as they please.

They no longer have to stay in abusive marriages due to societal restrictions and precedent rather today they are free to choose who they marry and when they will marry. As such the previous attributes of femininity attributed to women such as motherhood, childcare and subservience have been replaced with career independence and choice. A choice as to whether or not they want to have children, a choice of when to get married and a choice of who to marry.

Today the roles of femininity and masculinity have become blurred due to changes within society today. With women entering into more and more careers which were previously a haven for males. With these new freedoms comes a new way of life for women with the freedom of choice being the most important aspect of their lives. Compared to their counterparts in the early modern period of the human history it can be said that women today are far luckier with a much better life in front of them and the freedom to choose it.

Conclusion
From all that was stated it can be said that women in the 16th century were imprisoned by the concepts of femininity that were attributed to them. The roles of motherhood, childcare and home care were so indelibly etched into the societal perception of women that they were incapable of being anything else. As such it can be said that even though women in Europe during the early modern period of history were able to enjoy a better standard of living they were still in the end imprisoned by societal constraints that made their life no better than before.