Witchcraft accusations an 'occupational hazard' for female workers in early modern England
Witchcraft accusations an 'occupational hazard' for female workers in early modern England
While both men and women have historically been accused of the malicious use of magic, only around 10–30% of suspected witches were men by the 16th and 17th centuries.
Dr. Philippa Carter argues that the types of employment open to women at the time came with a much higher risk of facing allegations of witchcraft, or maleficium.
Most of the jobs involved health care or childcare, food preparation, dairy production or livestock care, all of which left women exposed to charges of magical sabotage when death, disease or spoilage caused their clients suffering and financial loss.
"Women's work saw them become the first line of defense against corruption, and this put them at risk of being labeled as witches when their efforts failed." This was in contrast to men's work, which often involved labor with sturdy or rot-resistant materials such as iron, fire or stone.
"It's a fair cop."