B2815thand16th

John Calvin: The Status of Women__** Calvinism in 1541 defined some specific gender roles in society. John Calvin had similar views with medieval Scholastic theologians in the subject of roles of women. According to Calvinism, marriage was very important to a woman. In the family, the husband was to have authority over the household, and the wife was to obey her husband. Calvinists also believed that marriage provided the outlet for women’s sexual urges, which the reformers believed were stronger than men’s. For women, the Calvinist provision for congregational participation and vernacular liturgy helped satisfy their desire to belong to and participate in a meaningful church organization. Like in Lutheran society, women were not allowed to have high positions in the church because they were considered subordinate. McKay, John P. History of Western society. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
 * __Gender Roles and their influence on work, social structure, family structure, and interest group formation