1. Renaissance Family Life

2. Renaissance family acted as a central social institution
Families were patriarchal
Before a man could achieve legal autonomy, he had to be liberated by his father

3. Men usually married in their late 20’s or early 30’s
Women often were married by their mid teens
Economic concerns dominated marriages

4. Result of marriage age gap…
Prostitution was rampant
High incidence of date rape and sexual violence
Men often died before their spouses
Numerous blended families

5. Renaissance women…
Status did not change much from the Middle Ages (although wealthy women actually lost some status)
Divorce was available in certain areas
Sexual double standard

6. Faced significant barriers to their intellectual pursuits
Their focus lay in the domestic sphere
Came to be viewed as objects of art or pawns in marriage alliances

7. Christine di Pisan
First modern statement of feminism, The City of Ladies
Fought to retain her property and turned to writing to support her family

8. Isabella d’Este First Lady of the World
Ruled Mantua while her husband was away at war, and behind his back when he was not

9. Laura Cereta
Refused to remarry or join a convent when her husband died when she was 18
Wrote works advocating equality for women