The Life and Roles of Elizabethan Era Women
Despite the fact that there was an unmarried woman on the throne, gender roles during the Elizabethan era were clearly defined, with men reigning superior over women. Men had great influence over women. While a man went out to work, a woman at that time was only expected to keep the hearth - to stay at home and manage the household duties. From birth, Elizabethan era women were taught how to govern a household and perform domestic duties so that when they married, which was expected of them regardless of their class and ancestry, their husbands would be proud.
The women of the Elizabethan era were given education only if they were members of the nobility. Otherwise, they had to stay home and learn to run the household. For Elizabethan era women of noble birth, education included knowledge of several languages, including Latin, Greek, Italian, and French. However, even noblewomen were not allowed to go to university and were only taught by tutors who visited them in their home.
Speaking of marriage, Elizabethan era women were also expected to provide a dowry, which could be any amount of money, goods, or property that was to be their contribution to the marriage. Once married, a woman during the Elizabethan era was expected, perhaps even pressured, to have and raise children. During the time, the mortality rate among infants and children was high, so even though the women gave birth often, families were not always large in number.
While marriage was a highly coveted state, especially among women of lower classes, not all Elizabethan era women married. At one time, the nunnery was an option for lower class women, but when monasteries were dissolved under King Henry VIII, the only place for single women during the Elizabethan era was in domestic service.
All throughout their lives, the women of the Elizabethan times were made to become dependent on a male relative - father, brother, uncle, husband, or other. Even religion dictated the fate of women, as obedience of a woman to a man was greatly emphasized.
It is interesting to note that while the rest of the women citizenry of England during what people call the Golden Age were given to the decisions of the male members in their family and were only limited to household duties, it was a woman who sat on the throne as queen of the land.
http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/the-life-and-roles-of-elizabethan-era-women.html
Love and Marriage
It was generally considered foolish to marry for love, although love could occur in marriage.
Parents and friends were considered better equipped to look out for young people’s best interests, being mature and experienced in the world. Their negotiations and recommendations governed marriages.
Just because a marriage was arranged doesn't mean that the young people had never met. Except among the lofty nobility, most people arranged their children's marriages with the children of neighbors and friends.
The lower on the social scale people were, the more likely they were to have a choice in the matter.
Wives
Wives were the property of their husbands.
Some women were more independent than others, and some feared marriage. However, every woman expected to be married and to depend on her male relatives throughout her life.
Of course, not everyone was in a hurry to get married, but marriage meant being in charge of one’s own home.
Women who would have been drawn to convent life in the old days no longer had that option and had to either marry or be a burden to their families.
Adapted from: http://www.elizabethan.org/compendium/10.html