However, some girls from poor families had to work for years to earn enough to marry. Women had few options outside of marriage. Some became nuns, but even a convent required a dowry. Some women without family who could help them were forced into prostitution. The dowries of merchant women became so large that noble- and businesswoman Alessandra Strozzi declared, ‘Whoever takes a wife wants money.’ 5.6.5 Childhood in Renaissance Italy Life was short in Renaissance times, with few people living into their forties. Working-class houses usually had no more than two rooms, a bed, table and bench, and a few utensils. Yet in most families, a child was born every two years. In poorer families, particularly, most children did not live long enough to reach adulthood. Childbirth itself was so dangerous that it was common for women to make their wills before a baby was due to be born. Peasant and artisan children usually had no formal education. In peasant families, children were put to work in the fields as soon as they were old enough to be useful. In artisan families, children would work alongside their fathers from an early age, with boys normally learning the father’s trade through apprenticeships from about age 14. It was only among the wealthy classes that childhood began to be seen as a period of freedom from the responsibilities of adult life. Upper-class boys usually attended colleges from around age 7 to 15, unless they had home tutors. Upper-class girls might attend a convent school until they were married or became nuns. In all social classes, girls had less status than boys. Babies were often abandoned or left at orphanages because their parents had died, were unmarried or could not afford to keep them. The records of the city- states show that two-thirds of all abandoned babies were girls. To relieve the burden on poor families, many girls were sent out to work as servants in wealthy households. Although some were treated well by their employers, others suffered physical and sexual abuse, and the laws gave them little protection from such treatment.
SkillBuilder discussion Communicating Look carefully at SOURCE4 . 1. What activities do you see? 2. What does this source tell you about education for the wealthy?
SOURCE4 This illustration appeared in a grammar text by Elio Donato and shows Massimiliano Sforza at school. Massimiliano Sforza was the son of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, and he became duke himself in 1512.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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