A woman's lot - Carolyn Hughes

A resentful peasant rages against a woman's efforts to build up her flock of sheep. A husband, grown melancholy and ill-tempered, succumbs to idle talk that his wife's a scold. A priest, fearful of women's "unnatural" power, determines to keep them in their place.The devastation wrought two years ago by the Black Death changed the balance of society: more women saw their chance to build a business, learn a trade, to play a greater part. But many men still hold fast to the teachings of the Church and fear the havoc the daughters of Eve might wreak if they're allowed to usurp men's roles and gain control over their own lives.Not all men resist women's desire for change - indeed, they want it for themselves. Yet it takes only one or two to unleash the hounds of hostility and hatred.