Women, Production, and Patriarchy in Late Medieval Cities

Download or read book Women, Production, and Patriarchy in Late Medieval Cities written by Martha C. Howell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2009-05-15 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this bold reinterpretation of Women's changing labor status during the late medieval and early modern period, Martha C. Howell argues that women's work was the product of the intersection of two systems, one cultural and one economic. Howell shows forcefully that patriarchal family structure, not capitalist development per se, was a decisive factor in determining women's work. Women could enjoy high labor status if they worked within a family production unit or if their labor did not interfere with their domestic responsibilities or threaten male control of a craft or trade.