Wow, although many things have changed for the better, many of the current misogynist ideas about women have their roots in Medieval times. I think that the guy who wrote the <i>Malleus Mallificarum</i> (the Hammer of witches) would be warmly received by the Manosphere's Andrew Tate. They both seem to hate women and resent that the only way to procreate involves both sexes.
Men of Medieval times used Classical texts and Church teachings to declare that women were weak of will and always interested in sex. These beliefs were used to justified their control of women. This outlook shows up today as the controlling, abusive men we read about in the news today who lose their tempers and their minds and go on shooting rampages. Our current sexual assault trials still put the victim on trial, rather than the criminal. We still live in Medieval mindsets in many ways.
Today, the story seems to be that it's men who are sexually voracious. See Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein. In actual fact, Medieval men were castigated by the Church for sex that would not lead to pregnancy or for the violation of days of self-restraint. I think men and women are actually pretty evenly matched when it comes to libido.
The author disproves the modern idea that women in the workforce is something new. Women were very involved in work for economic gain in Medieval times. We may not know many of their names, but women have been wage earners for a long time. We maybe haven't come quite as far as we thought!
A very interesting view of women's history.
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