Did these living conditions drive people to act in a certain way? And did it create different roles for women?

Question

It's a family living in the 1500s in the countryside and they have animals, a farm, farmers, servants, and a special place where servants can stay.

Did this create the differences between the social groups? Also did it create different roles for men and women? How are the conditions putting them in these situations? Please tell me what you know and your opinion

Answer 1

Well, obviously, the people in your scenario belong to different social classes -- but the real question is, does the amount of money and property you have dictate the class to which you belong?

The answer to that depends on the length of time the class system has been developing.

In England, in the 1500s, for example, it was possible to be a very poor aristocrat, or a very wealthy plebian -- this was related to the highly traditional (i.e. genetic) basis of the class system. You were *born* a prince or a pauper, and there was a constant pressure to 'know where you belong in the scheme of things'.

There was often a religious tinge to some of this, too. "God" could be said to have "created" you -- and it was, therefore, blasphemy to question your role or seek to change it.

As for gender roles, these are social constructs as well.

The greater efficiency that a simple division of labour allows is usually held to be the root cause of our "familiar" gender roles -- if the man works on the farm and the woman works in the home, enough food gets produced and the children are cared for.

Indeed, there is nothing inherently unequal about this -- it is only when it is held to be an eternal and natural role for a woman to be hidden away in the home, toiling away at unpaid labour that there is a problem.

In short, living conditions do influence lifestyle and behaviour -- of course they do. Simple facts of economic power often limit our ability to do certain things.

Lords can buy land, servants can polish boots, etc...

Answer 2

  More than living conditions cause social classes.  Society has 'rules' than vary by time and place.

   Undoubtably, they had a firm social order.  Own/masters on top, servants on the bottom.  The two did not cross groups, did not socialize outside of work.

  Working men worked in the fields on a farm, or on equipment and buildings.  Women cooked, cleaned, gardened, made clothing, cloth and did child care.

  "Free time" was spent often doing hand crafts for something useful...idle hands were the devils playground.