Occupations
Women and children were generally involved in tasks that required little physical work. Though, due to climate and weather constraints, women may have done the work that needed attention at the time. While men were ox-herders, labourers, swine-herders, and so forth, women wereChristianity
Churches in Anglo-Saxon England stressed doctrines that preached about virginity as a virtue and faithfulMarriage and divorce
In Anglo-Saxon England, there were many laws related to marriage. Some historians profess that the law that neither widow, nor maiden was forced to marry a man that she disliked as being a sign of equality; however, Aethelberht's law contradicts this in as much as a man is legally allowed to steal another man's wife as long as he pays him reparation. Once married, a woman was to situate herself as the object of her husband's subjectivity, she was to become the object of his protection and the property, although she still remained the owner of her property. The Church held that married women had no authority and were to stand under the lordship of men. Therefore, under the church they were not able to teach, witness, take an oath, nor be a judge. In marriage, a male often developed his sphere of influence through his wife. Although women were seen as such under the church, there were laws that protected them in the public sphere when married. Divorce was rare, and the only documented ones were in cases of adultery. A woman who committed adultery by sleeping with a man who was not her husband while her husband was still alive was subject to give what she owned to her husband. Æthelraed's 1008 code states that widows shall remain unmarried for 12 months after the death of her husband, at which point they have the freedom to choose. This was likely the case to allow for the widows to have time to think and not make any 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. This was paid to her directly and she had the right to do with it as she pleased. It is made clear that the marriage finances were held by both man and woman. A woman was free to leave a marriage, keeping in mind the only times divorce was documented was in cases of adultery; and if the woman did leave and take the children, she was entitled to half the property. These gifts were substantial sums and generally property. 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.Sexual mores
According to the church sexual desires were evil and sinful, thus appeared as so; therefore women were not to enjoy sex. Many times sex was not gentle, because it was not meant to please the woman. When it came to paying for sex with a woman belonging to the King she would have cost roughly 30 shillings, while a commoner only 6 shillings. The transfer of money for sex shows that there was prostitution, although it is not clearly stated whether the women condoned the act or not, and this issue is still up for debate; what is known is that there was a sex trade in some form. The fact that rape of a slave was more expensive than seduction of a free woman shows how rape was viewed so negatively in society, although the law protected women against both actions. Laws of Ælfred go into great detail regarding laws about sexual assaults. An example of the law committed by a man was King Æthebald of Mercia who was punished for numerous reasons, including violating holy nuns who were virgins consecrated to God. When compensation was paid a free woman, ceorl or ranked above, she collected the money directly, and the money for slaves went to their owner. It is also unclear as to whether the wife or husband received the money for their servants. Rape as a topic is important because it relates to gender relations, class status, property rights, judicial customs, female agency, religious virtues of integrity of the body and representation of all of these in a society. Sexual assaults were greatly penalized whether it was a slave or free woman. Burials suggest that a raped body was unceremonious. A few documents suggest that some men of this era applauded other men who beat their wives and that some men even thought that a wife should be beaten regularly; this may have been condoned by clergy. Even though there were laws protecting women that had been raped, sometimes the acts went unpunished for lack of information or time. The victim herself may not have told anyone until many years after, or no one really took an interest in the crime if the victim was of the serving class. Sex and rape were also found in literature. There are executed and threatened acts of violent sexual assaults mentioned in some literature and legal texts; an example is the homily of Wulfstan, a text in which he wrote about women being raped at the hands of the Vikings.Laws
The written law only represents a portion of the laws that impacted the lives of women; therefore they only reflect partial views of what actually happened. Despite what the churches doctrines taught, women were considered to be a member of the state and their rights were protected, regardless of their status as maiden, widow or wife. Women were classed as oath worthy and could appear as grantors, grantees and witnesses ofWills
Women had property rights and many landowners were women. They were able to bequeath land, as shown in numerous wills. Leaving property by means of a will was not restricted to kin; it could also be left to servants, religious figures, and churches. Documents of wills and charters show that women owned estates, by virtue of grant, will, or inheritance, and that they were seen roughly equal in the common life of the countryside. Evidence in these documents shows no preference to daughters or sons as heirs. Ceorl women and others of high rank were responsible for their homes. Some of the items that women would commonly receive via trust or inheritance were real property estates, slaves, livestock, household furnishings, clothing, jewels, and books. Items such as table clothes, bed sheets, and wall hangings were considered women's property because women made them.Health
Anglo-Saxons had warnings for pregnant women, including avoiding foods that were too salty or sweet, pork, and other fatty foods. They were also told to abstain from strong alcohol and too much drink and to avoid travel on horseback. If a woman were to stop menstruating supposedly due to a lack of nutrients and was not pregnant, she was to take hot baths, drink hot herb teas, and dress warmly.See also
*Notes
References
* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite journal , last= Stenton, first = Frank M. , title= The Historical Bearing of Place-Name Studies: The Place of Women in Anglo-Saxon Society , journal=New Reading on Women in Old , editor=Damico and Olsen , location=Indiana , publisher= Indiana University Press , year=1990 , pages=79–88 * Women in England Anglo-Saxon society