1. Domestic Service: A large number of women worked as domestic servants in households of wealthy families. They performed various tasks such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and childcare.
2. Seamstresses and Embroiderers: Many women were skilled in needlework and made a living as seamstresses or embroiderers. They created clothing, household linens, and other textiles.
3. Brewers and Alewives: Women often played a role in brewing and selling ale. In some cases, they owned and managed their own ale houses.
4. Market Women: Women sold goods at local markets, offering products like produce, dairy products, and homemade goods.
5. Midwives: Midwives assisted women during childbirth and provided care for newborn babies.
6. Dairy Maids: Women worked on farms as dairy maids, tending to livestock and producing dairy products.
7. Laundresses: Washing clothes was a labor-intensive task, and women often worked as laundresses, offering their services to households or commercial establishments.
8. Nurses: In the absence of formalized nursing professions, women provided basic nursing care to the sick in hospitals and private homes.
9. Herbalists: Some women had knowledge of herbal remedies and worked as herbalists, creating and selling medicinal preparations.
10. Entertainers: A small number of women found work as actresses or performed in other forms of entertainment, although these opportunities were rare and faced societal disapproval.
It's important to note that these jobs were often low-paying and lacked the same rights and protections as jobs held by men. Women faced significant societal restrictions and limitations in their professional opportunities.