The roles of women in Anglo-Saxon society are discussed in The Women of Beowulf: Power and Duty.
Since the 1980s, the study of the role of women in the society of Anglo-Saxon England has been a topic of academic research.Christine was the author of a seminal study in 1984 called Women in Anglo-Saxon England.Women were very close to the men in their lives, such as husbands and brothers, much more than in any other era before modern time.Despite this sense of equality, Anglo Saxon women were still subject to fear.Social status, religion and sexuality were some of the factors that influenced gender.They were allowed to have a wide liberty of intervention in public affairs.[3]
The tasks that women and children were involved in required little physical work.The work that needed attention at the time may have been done by women.While men were ox-herders and labourers, women were cheese-makers and dairymaids.They were bakers, but not cooks.The feminine and masculine forms of baker are represented by baecere and bascestre, and the word for cook is only found in the masculine form.Female slaves used to serve maids, wet-nurses, weavers, and seamstresses.Common free women may have been weaving.Women and ladies would serve drinks for family and friends.If one were present, it would have been done by a low-class woman.Entertainers, comedians, and singers may have been employed by households or travelling groups.[2]
In Anglo-Saxon England, churches preached about virginity as a virtue and faithful monogamy, which is believed to have limited an individual's chances of gaining status, political power and property.Following the acceptance of Christianity, Anglo-Saxon England became one of the first places in history where women were raised to sainthood.Christianity allowed women to rise to some of the most powerful positions in society.Despite evidence of anti-feminism found in homilies, women received relatively equal status within the church.Anti-feminism is not always true in practice.Women who went into the convent and took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience were praised by the Church and its fathers.The convent offered self- development and social responsibility to women, something that they are still fighting for today.The Anglo-Saxon church had institutions that were both male and female.The headship of the institution was assumed by the female abbot.Convents were run by abbesses, this is proof that women held important positions.Some of the resident nuns helped them manage the finances and property.Women continued to play a major role in the church in late Anglo-Saxon England despite the fact that this level of authority did not survive the Viking invasion.The presence of single gendered convents and monasteries meant that chores that were commonly done by the other sex would have been performed by common sex.Men and women would have worked in the kitchens and gardens of nunneries.[10]
There were equal opportunities for men and women in the Christian Church in Anglo-Saxon England.The Church's significant positions of authority were all held by men, despite the fact that women were given these opportunities.The introduction of Christianity resulted in gender differences and ideological conflicts surrounding sexuality and kinship.[4]
There were many marriage laws in England.Some historians?The law that neither widow nor maiden was forced to marry a man that she disliked as being a sign of equality is contrary to Aethelberht's law.Once married, a woman was to see herself as the object of her husband's subjectivity, although she still owned the property.The Church held that women who were married to men had no authority.They were not allowed to teach, witness, take an oath, or be a judge under the church.A male in marriage often develops his sphere of influence through his wife.Laws were put in place to protect women when they were married.In cases of adultery, divorce was rare.A woman who had an affair with a man who wasn't her husband while she was still alive was subject to give what she owned to her spouse.thelraed's 1008 code states that widows can choose to remain unmarried for a year after the death of their husband.It was likely that this was the case to give the widows time to think and not make rash decisions which may have led to relationships or commitments.
A prospective husband had to offer his wife a valuable gift called the morgengifu, a "morning-gift," which consisted of paying money or giving land for the ladies' hand in marriage.She had the right to do with it as she pleased, because it was paid to her directly.The marriage finances were held by both the man and woman.If the woman left the marriage and took the children, she was entitled to half of the property.These gifts were a lot of money.The gifts given by the groom were sometimes viewed as a sale of the bride, when in actuality it was to safeguard her interests and add security.[5]