Medieval Women
Teacher Resources
Driving Question: How did the experiences of women in medieval Europe and Song China differ?
The collapse and restructuring of societies affects the lives of all people living within them. However, not all people experience these types of changes in the same ways. For women in particular, periods of transition could produce great opportunity and great risk. In this lesson, we’ll examine the lives of women living in Europe and China around the same time, seeking differences and commonalities.
- Understand the experiences of different women in medieval Europe and Song China.
- Use historical comparison skills to examine how women in medieval Europe and Song China were different and what they shared in common.
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Supporting Materials
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Use the articles accompanying this activity to compare and contrast the experiences of women in medieval Europe and Song China.
Download “Medieval Women in Western Europe, c. 1000–1350 CE”
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- How did social status affect women’s roles in medieval Europe? Provide an example for women’s roles in the upper, middle, and lower classes of medieval Europe?
- How did the Biblical story of Adam and Eve affect women in this period?
- How did nuns’ lives change from the seventh to the fourteenth century?
- Why were nuns in convents mainly from the upper classes?
- How did the seating structure of the Catholic mass reinforce both social and gender hierarchies in medieval Europe?
- Why did most Jewish women live in urban areas, and often in Jewish neighborhoods?
- How were Christian and Jewish women’s roles similar and different?
Evaluate
- This article gives you some sense of the roles that women played in religious communities and in production and distribution. What roles might women have played in rebuilding networks during this period?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- How did writings such as those in the I Ching and philosophies like Confucianism influence women’s roles in Chinese society?
- What were some benefits for women and their families if they became a Buddhist nun?
- How were women’s roles dictated by their social status in Song Dynasty China? Provide an example for women’s roles in the upper, middle, and lower classes of society?
- What is foot binding and how was this used as an indicator of social status in Song Dynasty China?
- Why do we know more about elite women than we do about those in the lower classes such as those who farmed?
Evaluate
- Comparing this article to the article on the roles of women in medieval Europe, what are some general comparisons you can make about the impact of belief systems on women’s roles in society?
