The women of the Middle Ages were totally dominated
by the male members of their family. The women were expected to instantly obey
not only their father, but also their brothers and any other male members of
the family. Any unruly girls were beaten into submission and disobedience was
seen as a crime against religion. Woman's inferior status was governed completely
because of one fatal failure: her sex. The Church blamed Eve for the Fall of
Man and thus the woman was in fact an instrument of the Devil, to be feared
more than the poison of snakes. Women were objects who were bought and sold.
Girls were punished for reducing their value by losing their virginity. Woman
was both revered and abhorred; she was seen as a necessary evil but, because of
the nature of medieval life, women were of as much value to the smooth
functioning of daily life as men were.
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