Charts the expectations and experiences from birth to death of women in England in the period between the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution, using the most recent statistical studies as well as the evidence of individual biographies and other writings. Bringing together the astonishing range of research over the last 20 years, this book looks at areas such as life-expectancy, likelihood and duration of marriage, choice of partners, numbers of children and experiences of pregnancy and childbirth, work inside and outside the household, education, religion and participation in the community and the wider world. These are all subjects on which people make broad generalizations which offer bear little resemblance to the most recent research.