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Theme: Position of Women in Society
Argument: Women were not as subordinate to men as they were in other societies. The fact that Bernard does not discuss women’s subordination is probably a sign that it did not exist. He pays specific attention to roles of women and men in society. Although he uses little words, he conveys many points “between the lines.” He does not mention anything uneven about the position of women in society, so we can assume that it was not low or suppressed.
Supporting Evidence:
1) Breast feeding – the fact that women did not breast feed their children could well be a sign of emancipation – a woman chose what to do with her body and when to have babies (without the use of breast-feeding as an excuse for lack of conception). This also meant that they used other methods of feeding their babies – bottles (which were quite expensive at that time, I would assume), wet-nurses.
2) Tavern – Both women and men went there – a social gathering, their lives were more open, not confined to the barn.
3) Women rarely were given hard work – sensible division of labor.
Connection: Bonnie Smith – p. 15: women had as much as 11 children (contrast); p. 25: they had fun as well (compare).