User:Kj3gomez/Women in brewing

History
Traditional Germanic societies were reported by the Romans to drink ale, made predominantly of fermented honey, produced by women. Until monasteries took over the production of alcoholic beverages in the 11th century, making it a profession for monks and nuns, brewing was the domain of tribal Germanic women. Migratory Germanic tribe women typically brewed their meads and ales in the forest, to avoid pillages by invaders.

In the decades before the Black Death in Europe, many households required a large amount of ale, because of a lack of potable water and expense of other beverages. Ale and bread production was a time-consuming process and required the commercial market to meet the needs for family consumption. The family relationship and structure were dependent on ale and bread purchase in the 13th century. There were a set of standards, regulations, pricing, and measurements set in place to ensure product quality.[1] Women used the opportunity of brewing to make extra money at home. Brewing was associated with women’s work because it overlapped with their household duties. The process was time consuming and intermittent. The equipment required to brew ale was also more accessible than the expensive equipment used in baking which gave women more leeway and ability to pursue brewing. The excess would go bad before the family consumption which lead to women selling ale additional income to their family.[1] Brewing enabled women to participate in the preindustrial European economy because their ability to sell the excess production and their household ask required them to take part in the economy. This was also an alternative to making extra income instead becoming a wet nurse or spinner.[1] There were advantages and disadvantages when pursuing a career in brewing in terms of commercial engagement and the lives of preindustrial women characterizes as weak in the preindustrial economy opposed to a reality where they were practical, rational, and frugal.[1] Brewing was commonly engaged by women as a part of household duties taught by their mothers and any other profession involving women travelling ago went against the behavioral status quo of women. Brewing was more common amongst men and women in the urban setting because the center of production centered around the household. A domestic model with women arose and was present in the organization of labor because of the expectation for marriage. Women were essentially groomed for marriage learn from social norms opposed to biological differences being the determining factor of employment.[1] When the craft developed for men establishing control and power over brewing, the role of women declined, and they faced limitations and control within brewing. Women never rarely received full membership in the gild or learned the entirety of the craftsmanship. Widows may or may not have continued their husband’s membership. In Brigstock, some women obtained licenses to brew over several months. Women in northern England were the main brewers for the community. As elsewhere in Europe, the founding of guilds often forced women out of the brewing industry; however, in Haarlem in the Netherlands, because women were allowed to inherit guild membership from spouses, many continued in the profession. Data collected on the period between 1518 and 1663, showed that 97 brewsters, three-quarters of whom were widows, were operating among a total of 536 brewers in the city.Women were discouraged from the organization of gild because the context of the craft was home and domestic, so they were never able to hold positions of power within the gild. They were also kept out from partaking in the ale tasting career. Women did not receive the title of master and would receive recognition from their husbands who engaged in brewing. The limitation of women holding positions from power prevented them in making decisions or influencing the regulations and standardizations regarding their craft.[1] The manufacturing and retail of women in the local economy was related to women participating as consumers for household goods. Ale was essential to the daily consumption of Scottish and English towns, therefore the legislations set by the town enforced strict regulations of the production and retail of alcohol and could be subjected to harsh punishment if brewers failed to abide by the laws. Although there were regulations in place, they were not always followed which is seen in documentation of individuals breaking the laws.[1] During the Middle Ages the role of women in society on the one hand, revered by society. On the other hand, faced scrutiny for their actions related to the gendered thinking found in religious and literary texts.[1] In England women in brewing were subjected to negative characterization throughout popular culture. Women faced a double standard in expectations of sexuality and religious thought and attitudes toward women in society. Women in brewing were thought to be participants in an immoral trade, enabled sinful behavior associated with drunkenness, and using their sexuality to take advantage of men. Alewives were commonly described as untrustworthy and disagreeable which was a societal norm at the time; as a result, discouraged women from furthering careers in commercial brewing and agency to compete with men in an industry that originated as women’s work.[1] [1] Bennett, Judith M, Work in Progress: Misogyny, Popular Culture, and Women’s Work, 173. [1] Bennett, Judith M, and Ruth Mazo Karras, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2013), 6.

[1] Elizabeth Ewan, Women in Scotland c.1100-c.1750, 126-128 [1] Barbara A. Hanawalt, Women and Work in Preindustrial Europe, xiii [1] Judith M. Bennett, The Alewive: Women in Brewing 14th c. England, 20 [1] Barbara A. Hanawalt, Women and Work in Preindustrial Europe, viii-ix [1] Judith M. Bennett, The Alewive: Women in Brewing 14th c. England, 23 [1] Judith M. Bennett, The Alewive: Women in Brewing 14th c. England, 22 [1] Judith M. Bennett, The Alewive: Women in Brewing 14th c. England, 21