Being a Child

Women and men had different roles in the home and in society. This also affected the upbringing of children. Boys were often trained early to manage a farm or practice a profession, while girls focused on household work and responsibility for children. Common chores for both of them could be herding animals or collecting firewood.

A few years of simple instruction in Christianity, reading and writing were available in some places. In Brätte, a schoolmaster is mentioned who may have taken in a number of boys and girls. Children from upper-class families could be home-schooled. Higher education was only for boys who were then allowed to move to specific towns to become priests, doctors or lawyers.