The Protestant Reformation: The Protestant Reformation

The protestant reformation was a 16th to 17th century religious upheaval that changed the lives of many Europeans. Martin Luther was a catalyst for the reformation when he expressed his doubts over the legitimacy of indulgences. His 95 Theses started the break from the Catholic Church and later started the movement known as the Protestant Reformation. Although women were not able to completely break away from the social norms in the 17th century, the Protestant Reformation was a catalyst for future independency for women. Through the use of education, witchcraft,marriage, and religion the Protestant reformation changed and continued the lives of women in European society. Originally, women were expected to only fulfill one role in society;

The witchcraft craze was not a new phenomenon however once the medieval church made connects to the devil, more and more people were being accused. These accused witches were often tortured and burned at the stake. The majority of people being accused were women which was due to their love of carnal pleasures. People believed that because women plausible that they would be more susceptible to witchcraft. Although the lives of women did change during the protestant reformation, due to witchcraft women were negatively affected. Innocent women were being tortured, burned, and drowned due to religious uncertainty during the 17th century. Although religious uncertainty was not the main reason the witchcraft craze was reborn, social and religious turmoil caused by the reformation caused the deaths of many innocent women. The lives of the women changed as they had to live in fear of being accused of a witch and being burned at the

Women in the 1960s were expected to follow one career path: marry in their early 20s, start a family, and devote her life to looking after the family. Although the feminist movement focused on equality for both sexes, women were still expected to fulfill that destiny. The feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s focused on dismantling workplace inequality. This included unfair salaries and better job opportunities for women via anti-discrimination laws. The movement resulted in new laws which were created to stop discrimination The Equal Employment Commission, established due to this movement, gave women the opportunity to gain jobs in every part of the United States. Although women were unable to completely break away from their stereotype of being “mothers” they were able to establish laws that gave them equal opportunities and allowed them to get