working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

CAPITALISTS CAPITALISTS41thro' her Wisdom and Diligence great things come inby her ; she brings in with her hands, for, Sheputteth herhands to the wheel. . . . . If she be too high tostain her Hands with bodily Labour, yet shebringeth in with her Eye, for, She overseeth theWays of her Household, . . . and eateth not theBread of Idleness." She provides the necessities oflife. " If she will have Bread, she must not alwaysbuy it, but she must sow it, and reap it and grind it,. . . She must knead it, and make it into bread.Or if she will have Cloth, she must not always run tothe Shop orto the score but she begins at the seed,she carrieth her seed to the Ground,she gathereth Flax,of her Flax she spinneth a Thread, of her Thread sheweaveth Cloth, and so she comes by her coat."'The woman here described was the mistress of alarge household, who found scope for her productiveenergy within the limits of domestic industry, but ithas been shown that the married woman often wentfarther than this, and engaged in trade either as herhusband's assistant or even on her own account.The effect of such work on the development ofwomen's characters was very great, for any sort ofproductive, that is to say, creative work, provides adiscipline and stimulus to growth essentially differentfrom any which can be acquired in a life devotedto spending money and the cultivation of ornamentalqualities.The effect on social relations was also marked, fortheir work implied an association of men and womenthrough a wide range of human interests and a consequentdevelopment of society along organic rather thanmechanical lines. The relation between husband andwife- which obtained most usually among the upperclasses in England at the opening of the seventeenthcentury, appears indeed to have been that of partner-ship ; the chief responsibility for the care of children andthe management and provisioning of her householdresting on the wife's shoulders, while in businessmatters she was her husband's lieutenant. The wifewas subject to her husband, her life was generally anarduous one, but she was by no means regarded ashis servant. A comradeship existed between themwhich was stimulating and inspiring to both. Theladies of the Elizabethan period possessed courage,initiative, resourcefulness and wit in a high degree.Society expected them to play a great part in thenational life and they rose to the occasion ; perhapsit was partly the comradeship with their husbandsin the struggle for existence which developed in themqualities which had otherwise atrophied.Certainly the more circumscribed lives of theRestoration ladies show a marked contrast inthis respect, for they appear but shadows of thevigorous personalities of their grandmothers. Prominentamongst the many influences which conspiredtogether to produce so rapid a decline in the physique,efficiency and morale of upper class women, must bereckoned the spread of the capitalistic organisation ofindustry, which by the rapid growth of wealth madepossible the idleness of growing numbers of women.Simultaneously the gradual perfecting by men of theirseparate organisations for trade purposes rendered themindependent of the services of their wives and familiesfor the prosecution of their undertakings. Though thestern hand of economic necessity was thus withdrawnfrom the control of women's development in theupper classes, it was still potent in determining theirdestiny amongst the " common people," whose circumstanceswill be examined in detail in the followingchapters.1 Wilkinson, (Robert). Conjugal Duty, pp. 13-17.