During the Middle Ages, gender roles are
very important aspect to reflect on because patriarchy was very prominent
during this time. Women are subservient to men in the Middle Ages, which
degrade women in society. Women are viewed as weaker, less intelligent, and
much less capable of different task to provide for their family. Patriarchy is
developed as a system of society or government in which the father or eldest
male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line. The belief
at this time was women were considered inferior to men and their duties were
primarily confined to the home and family life. The family life during this
time period is very traditional, therefore women are housewives who take care
of the their children and the household. Women in the Middle Ages were usually
taking up their leisure time to develop skills in music and drawing, to express
their emotions through art and writing. Meanwhile men had distinct roles in
society to meet the expectation of patriarchy, which are given the opportunity
to work and make money for their families. Women were very dependent on their
husbands and male figures in their family, because women didn’t have a real
opportunity to survive without them. These gender roles create no identity for
women during this time or independence to live free of patriarchy. In the
Middle Ages religion was a big part of families lives, therefore this was a
heterosexual dominant society that gave power to males of all aspects of
religion and hierarchy. In Chadwick
text, “women were prohibited from teaching by St. Paul’s caution that a women
must be a leaner, listening quietly and with due submission. I do not permit a
women to be a teacher, nor must a women domineer over a man; a women should be
quiet” (45). The idea that women would
have access to education or have power over men wasn’t acceptable. Women are not
allowed to be priest or any position superior to men, because females are have
common stereotypes of being unintelligent and weak. Women weren’t allowed have
the educational background or power to preach the belief of God. The only roles
for women in the Christian community is the vows of nuns, which is a school for
females to devote their poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a
monastery. 
The Renaissance era was a period of
rebirth; the ideas and belief had changed during this time. This era was a
transitional time period, which focused on the influence of art instead of
religion. Cultural development expanded social norms, and civilization as a
whole. Religion did not impact society at this time period; the renaissance
period created an evolution of art as a new cultural lifestyle. The church was
losing it power and wealth, because society believed in a new era of movement
that would change social, economic, and cultural norms from the Middle Ages.
Women in the renaissance era challenged social norms by making detaching
themselves from men. Women in this period still didn’t have much power to be
independent, but they didn’t accept themselves to be viewed as objects with no
identity. Unfortunately this was the age of business and power, therefore women
were arranged to marry different men for business deals and not for love. Women
were a man’s prize to increase his social statues; they were objects that were
accessories for the public. Women did make progress during the renaissance,
which they learned different skills like sewing and needlework. The women who
worked in knitting were considered ordinary women. This was cultural tradition
for social groups based on their primary group or class. Women who were
educated were usually rich or came from the elite families. Their education was
based on literature a great way to read and write. In the text by Chadwick he
illustrates, “the greatest period of female social progress in history”(177).
This quote established the period of women in history that define themselves as
independent strong ambitious people that will compete with men and their
ability to control society. Their respect was limited especially in the art
world they never were honored for they’re beautiful art work, but this made
women strive for acknowledgement. In the renaissance era male artists dominate
art, because females were never given the right opportunity to succeed or prove
their artwork was relevant. The male gaze is very prominent during this time in
which women are viewed as sex objects instead of human beings. Women during
this time are only present for the nudity of the art, not their feelings or
emotions just their body symbols and how they appear to a heterosexual
audience. Female artist will never get the opportunity to showcase their skills
until the society will acknowledge inequality on gender roles.
References
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Langara College, 2016
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