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Elizabethan Era Gender Roles

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Since the beginning of time, women were always seen as inferior towards men. They were expected to be obedient and modest at all times. Those who were resistant towards men were seen as unattractive or even a shrew. In the Elizabethan Era, 1558-1603 AD, women were allowed certain freedoms but still heavily restricted to gender roles. During the 1920’s, also known as the Roaring ‘20s, prosperity was in the air for everyone, from men to women, in many different ways. When comparing the two time periods, there were many differences and similarities between the gender roles of men and women when it came to their economy, their impact on society, and their roles in marriage.

Between the Elizabethan era and the 1920’s, there were similar and different roles based on their rights. When it came to having a job, the women of Elizabethan England “were not allowed to enter the professions i.e law, medicine, politics, but they could work in domestic service as cooks, maids etc, and a female painter.” They were not …show more content…

When it came to family structure in Elizabethan times, “women belonged to their fathers (or their brothers if their father died), and then to their husbands.” Women were never allowed to be by themselves, or to live freely, creating a system of ownership for each woman. The men will always be in control of women, even if their family dies. However, they were similar in it that “gender roles decided that the man of the house would go out and bring in food and money while women were stuck at home caring for their children.” Yes, women did not have to obey their husband, it was more common within the 1920’s household. They had the option to stay at home or work, but more commonly, they stayed at home while the husband worked. To briefly explain, there were multiple similarities and differences about the gender roles in

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