Gender Differences in Renaissance - Coursework Example

Introduction Throughout history, women and men have been assigned particular roles in the society that prescribed the standard and qualification of the society. In the Renaissance, the traditional political and social system altered drastically from the medieval feudal systems. Every woman in the society experienced some changes in their political and social options over men. The achievements of Renaissance involve advancement in philosophy, literature, architecture, science, art and music. Gender was the most important factors that portrayed Renaissance between the 14th and the 16th century. The value, legal status, rights of citizenship and social expectations differed greatly between the different classes of the society as well as the sexes. In some cases the roles of the genders were clearly defined on the other hand, in some societies the role of men and women characters moved fluidly. Women were mostly unheard by men and their social responsibilities were limited to household activities. This essay illustrates the position of gender and the differences between male and female rights in the world during the Renaissance period. Discussion The women in the middle ages, i.e. the Renaissance period were denied from all political rights as they were legally subjected to their husbands. Women of all the classes in the society were expected to perform in their household activities and they were refrained from participating in any financial or political job roles. During the entire Renaissance period women experienced limited rights and they were hidden in the house by their husbands or family members. The women were not allowed to speak in front of guests or even show themselves properly. The trend was strongly followed in most of the cultures that existed in the world between the 14th and the 16th century. Furthermore, the emergence of Neo-Platonism along with the teachings of several scholars motivated people to continue with the differences that existed in the society (Bunn 47). It was stated by Marsilio Ficino that, “women must be used as chamber pots and should be hidden once a man has pissed in them.” These teachings and scholar works inspired the male dominance in the human society. In the Renaissance period men were allowed to get education and they were also allowed to show their talents in the field of poetry, acting, architecture and other useful developments. Males of the society had the authority to participate in politics and they were also allowed to take part in the political and social events. The males of the society not only dominated the women but also represented their needs in front of the society. The women of the Renaissance period did not have the power to go beyond the limitations of the society or participate in any kind of events or achievements. The only task for women was to take care of their family and their household and manage cattle in some cases. The gender difference existed among all the society and in every class. It was common for males to protect their wives and work, in order to earn their living. The rights of women were just limited to household activities, giving birth to children and taking care of their families. The status of the women however differed based on the difference of class in the society. In the lower class of the society, women did not have the rights to go out of their house without a male’s consent or company. Neither the women were allowed to meet strangers or talk to them whole-heartedly. The thoughts of the women were shaped by the men and the women were believed to be obedient and disciplined while performing their duties towards the men. The men, on the other hand did farming and labor works for their living and they also participated in the political and social events actively. In the middle class, women had their responsibilities towards their household and they also had the permission to be involved in family business with their husbands. In most of the cases it has been observed that women belonging from the middle class used to make medicine and worked in shops that were developed by their husbands (Ellis 32). The men on the other hand had rights to participate in the social and political events, similar to the lower class males. The elite class women had to participate in the household activities but they had better positions compared to that of the women belonging from the other two classes. The elite class women had servants, who would perform their work and the women were also allowed in social gatherings. The elite class women had the authority to express their thoughts; however they were shaped by their husbands. During the Renaissance period, i.e. between the 14th and the 16th century the gender roles that were introduced in the society were new differences. It is possible to state that people in the society, during the Renaissance period were well aware of the ongoing in the society about the male dominance. Several scholarly articles have confirmed that the Renaissance literatures and the art works inspired people to maintain the male dominance, in order to avoid any uncertain situations. For example, the women of the societies were only given access to household activities and they did not have political rights. Furthermore, the medical texts provided meanings scientifically that provided evidences as to, why women should be allotted the household roles in the society. It is essential to understand that medical knowledge in the sixteenth century was clearly based on the work of famous classical writers, such as Aristotle, Galen and Hippocrates (Nevalainen 62). Therefore, the entire Renaissance period was based on the influence that originated from classical writers, scholars and poets. The women of the society were treated as inferior to men because of their physical weakness compared to men. The birth rights and marriage rights were given to women in order to maintain balance in the society and encourage growth of human generation and continuation of species. Gender roles and responsibilities bore greatly on the understandings of female and male bodies. The responsibilities of children were given to women for the same cause because the women were responsible for bringing children to earth. Medical experts during the period believed that women should be given such responsibilities and males should be taking part as protectors of their family. Females and children were dependent on the males of the family and they played the major roles in the society as well. Art and literature were the best known and loved part of the Renaissance. Vernacular literatures flourished on a large scale in the 14th century. Most of the humanists preferred Latin. English, German, Portuguese, French, Spanish and other vernaculars that exist in the modern world had not emerged by the time. The European Renaissance concerned itself basically with literature, art and architecture. They resembled high culture in the society and a major paradigm for knowledge. The knowledge of art, literature and architecture was limited to the wealthy sector of the population during the period. Invention of printing press occurred along with opening of fourteen new universities in Germany by 1506 (Kramer 59). The entire world experienced some important changes during the Renaissance period. Several modern art such as Byzantine art, Romanesque art, insular art etc. signify the changes that occurred after 14th century. Paintings and sculptures were designed to reflect the image of the society during the renaissance. Several paintings inspired the gender roles in the society and the paintings also described the power of males of females. Rome, Egypt, Greece had some rich poetries and literary works that illustrates about the social and religious values that enriched the human society. In the modern literary works the position of women during the Renaissance period have been criticized however the gender differences and cultural values have been helpful to enshrine the human values and civilization. The insular art, in the Byzantine tradition displays the virgin and child surrounded by family, which is a typical decorated margin and it explains the perception of the societal values during the Renaissance (Tanaka 82). The modern world has been able to establish by the inspirations that have been available from the historical evidences. The historic arts and literary works have enabled people to enrich their intellectual and physical level. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is possible to state that gender differences existed greatly in the human society during the Renaissance period. The major role of females being household activities and child birth and males took part in the social and political events of the society. The Renaissance period has been criticized by several scholars in the modern world because of the ill-treatments of men against females of the society. It has been evident that women were not allowed to live an independent life as they had to be bound to males forcefully or willingly. Child-birth and child education were responsibilities of women, however they were decided by men when and how to plan. Therefore, women between 14th and 16th century were dependent on the decisions of men. Several arts and paintings along with literary works provide the evidence of the gender gap that existed in the human society during the Renaissance period. Works Cited Bunn, Davis. The Book of Hours. London: Sage, 2009. Print. Ellis, Lee. Sex Differences. New York: Springer, 2013. Print. Kramer, Heinrich. The Malleus Maleficarum. New Jersey: Pearson, 2007. Print. Nevalainen, Terttu. Sociologists and European History. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Tanaka, Lidia. Gender, Language and Culture. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2004. Print. Read More