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Daughters, Wives and Widows after the Black Death: Women in Sussex, 1350-1535
Did the expanding economic life of England after the Black Death improve the lot of women, as is commonly thought? This study argues not.
It has long been thought that the post Black Death period offered unparallelled opportunities for women. However, through a careful consideration of economic and legal changes affecting women of all social classes and conditions,the author shows that this was not the case, taking issue with orthodox opinion. She argues that marriage at a late age was not customary for women, and that the ability of wives to supplement their income with intermittent paid labour (at harvest time, for example) was not so great as has been rather, most married women spent more time on unpaid agricultural labour on their own land than their peers had done in the pre-plague economy. ProfessorMate also demonstrates that there is little evidence to support the current belief that widowhood was the period in a woman's life when she enjoyed most power, freedom, and independence; moreover, legal changes were a mixed blessing for women, leaving some widows with a larger portion and a more secure title to land, but totally depriving others. Throughout, the book pays much attention to class as well as gender, showing how many things were determined byit, from what a woman wore or ate to the age at which she married, her power within the household, and even her vulnerability to rape.
The late MAVIS E. MATE was Professor of History Emerita, University of Oregon.
It has long been thought that the post Black Death period offered unparallelled opportunities for women. However, through a careful consideration of economic and legal changes affecting women of all social classes and conditions,the author shows that this was not the case, taking issue with orthodox opinion. She argues that marriage at a late age was not customary for women, and that the ability of wives to supplement their income with intermittent paid labour (at harvest time, for example) was not so great as has been rather, most married women spent more time on unpaid agricultural labour on their own land than their peers had done in the pre-plague economy. ProfessorMate also demonstrates that there is little evidence to support the current belief that widowhood was the period in a woman's life when she enjoyed most power, freedom, and independence; moreover, legal changes were a mixed blessing for women, leaving some widows with a larger portion and a more secure title to land, but totally depriving others. Throughout, the book pays much attention to class as well as gender, showing how many things were determined byit, from what a woman wore or ate to the age at which she married, her power within the household, and even her vulnerability to rape.
The late MAVIS E. MATE was Professor of History Emerita, University of Oregon.
235 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 1998
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September 19, 2025
Mavis E. Mate is certainly a historian of excellent calibre, yet here she falls short.
Daughters, wives and widows (DWW) takes aim at the notion that the period after the Black Death became a ‘golden age’ for women. Mate’s intersectional approach demonstrates that the experiences of women differed across boundaries of class, age and profession. In short, Mate argues that women’s’ lives were complex and nuanced. Where some women saw tangible increases to their standard of living, others didn’t. Her argument, while correct and brimming with examples, is… unsurprising for any medieval historian and has understandably left some people disappointed. Having said this, for people wanting an insight into the complex lives of English woman following the plague, DWW is a great place to start.
Daughters, wives and widows (DWW) takes aim at the notion that the period after the Black Death became a ‘golden age’ for women. Mate’s intersectional approach demonstrates that the experiences of women differed across boundaries of class, age and profession. In short, Mate argues that women’s’ lives were complex and nuanced. Where some women saw tangible increases to their standard of living, others didn’t. Her argument, while correct and brimming with examples, is… unsurprising for any medieval historian and has understandably left some people disappointed. Having said this, for people wanting an insight into the complex lives of English woman following the plague, DWW is a great place to start.
Displaying 1 of 1 review