Gender and the Organization of Sacred Space in Early Modern England c1580-1640

The relationship between gender and space has been a consistent theme in histories of women and of gender over many years, even if not always explicitly stated. One of the most influential master narratives about the status of women is a story of decline from the early modern to the Victorian age. Historians who support this theory argue that, with the advent of capitalism and the rise of a class society, the division between domestic space and work space became more distinct, the household became more sharply identified as private, domestic, and feminine, in opposition to the public and masculine spaces of work and politics, from which women were progressively excluded. The outcome of this sharpening of spatial and social distinctions, it is argued, was to produce a more rigidly hierarchical and patriarchal society.This ?separate spheres? model continues to have a very powerful influence on women?s and gender history, although there is now a mounting body of literature that challenges many of its assumptions. Work on masculinity has drawn attention to the ?private? and domestic aspects of the lives of men as well as women. The ?public? aspects of the family have been addressed in terms of its relationship to the community, to political institutions, public policy, and in terms of its economic role. Studies have also begun to stress continuity in the spheres and status of women.