Women and the Reformation
Though the Reformation generally improved the status
of women, both Catholics and Protestants continued to
see women as subservient to men, limited them to the
household and neither gave women an official role in
the structure or administration of the church.
Catholic Women
 Catholic women could achieve important positions as the heads of convents
or founders of monastic orders
 Angela Merici, founder or the Ursuline order during the Counter-Reformation, played a
significant role in the education of women.
 Catholic women also achieved renown and status for their religiosity.
 Teresa of Avila was famous for her mystical visions as well as for her writings, whose
importance were acknowledged when she was made a doctor of the Church.
 The ideal life of a Catholic was a monastic one, away from the world,
celibate, and devoted to religious work, so unmarried women who were
cloistered were often highly regarded.
Protestant Women
 Protestants generally banned monasticism because it is not found in Scripture;
 instead they argued that to do God’s work, one must live in this world, in secular society.
 Women lost opportunities for status and power when convents disappeared
 unmarried women lost a place to live as well as a career path
 Protestants churches, like the Catholic church, did not allow women hold official positions
 Ministers had to marry and have children and women gained new importance
for their particular roles as wives of pastors and in general in their
management of the household.
 Women were encouraged to become literate so they could read the Bible and
properly raise their children.
 Marriage began to be seen as more of an equal partnership.
 Martin Luther and his wife, like many other Protestant couples, had double portraits
commissioned, reflecting this new spirit.
 Marriage was not a sacrament to Protestants, so divorce was permitted.
 This meant that an unpleasant or abusive relationship could be ended, thus providing greater
protection for women.