E X T E N S I O N WOMEN IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND Middle class Elizabethan women There were few rights for most women in Elizabeth s England. They were in no way equal to men. They were usually under the control of fathers or husbands and, in some cases, other male relatives. The fact that a woman ruled England had little impact on the general role of women in society. Apart from Elizabeth, her sister Mary, the wives of Henry VIII and other royals, like Mary of Scotland, we know in detail about the lives of only a few women of the time. There are almost no records1 of the individual lives of middle-class and lower-class women. They struggled2, they often died in childbirth or, after having too many children, they died too young. Disease injured and killed many and they had to face serious problems if their husband died in one of the many wars of the period. There were no general welfare programs to provide for them. Almost all were repressed by the way society was constructed. While the education of upper-class women was a concern3 of their parents, there were few opportunities for women of the other social classes. Higher education was restricted to men. The upper classes wanted their daughters to prepare for a good marriage. So, they learnt 1. record: testimony, documentation. 2. struggled: experienced difficulty and made a very great effort in order to do something; fought, 3. concern: preoccupation. 20