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THE GENDER SPECIFICITY OF WITCH HUNTS Question: Critically examine the view that witch-hunting in early modern Europe was sex-specific (i.e. it was woman-hunting) The commonly made assertion that witch-hunting was sex-specific oversimplifies what is, in actual fact, a series of complex dynamics at play in Early Modern Europe. It cannot be (and is not) denied that there was a preponderance of women among the accused – even the most conservative estimate places the figure up around 80% overall(1). However, simply dismissing these figures as a result of the inherent misogyny of the times glosses over the specific cultural practices, beliefs and anxieties that made women more likely to be accused of practicing witchcraft. Examination of this sociocultural background will show that is was virtually inevitable that accusations of witchcraft would be aimed primarily at women because of the widespread acceptance of and adherence to societal views of them. Firstly, logically we can observe that the supposed “doings” of a witch were much more likely to be done by a woman. As the devil was commonly believed to be a man, it therefore follows that someone consorting and copulating with the devil would be a woman. Women were more likely to participate in the activities of a midwife or a wisewoman, for example herbal medicine or simple spells, which were not considered dangerous until the widespread alarm surrounding witches occured. Also, spontaneous outbursts of anger (which were often interpreted as ‘cursing’) were much more likely to come from a woman than a man. The norms of the time allowed men to express their anger in physical violence and aggression, whereas women were not supposed to display feelings of that nature. Bever claims, “women resorted to ‘witch-like’ behaviours…because these were effective means of engaging in conflicts…avoiding forms of struggle they were less well-equipped for” (2) (emphasis mine) Therefore, according to Bever the witch accusations being directed primarily at women were a result of their smaller, weaker physical stature and their supposedly inferior intellect. These imagined weaknesses forced them to engage in conflicts in a way that could easily be construed as witchcraft. This seems as likely an explanation as any when we look at Koehler’s work and find that, “…women conformed to the ideological expectations of their culture and respected the institutional checks on female independence.” (3) Women of early modern Europe very likely felt that underhand dealings were their only recourse during conflict within their home village or town, due to their ‘inferior intellect and stature’ so fellow villagers could easily accuse such a person of witchcraft.
Approximate Word count = 1484
Approximate Pages = 5.9
(250 words per page double spaced)
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