of manual on how to spot and accuse a witch, women have a more feeble and weaker character than a man, and therefore are more susceptible to falling into the temptation of witchery than men (Kramer 42). It first states that women are more innocent and devoted to their faith, which entices the devil whom was believed to be the corruptor of faith. Secondly, it states that “women are intellectually like children,” which implies that they are very impressionable and that would also make them easier targets for the devil to tempt. Thirdly, it says they are gossips and cannot resist telling their friends about the evil, once they heard about it (44). Of course these reasons have no true merit and are very gender biased. Men feared the success and rise of women, so they tried to keep them down. The Malleus Maleficarum also goes on and on about how horrible and unbearable women could be. Men felt sorry for each other if they were married to a “wicked woman” (45). This gave women a sort of power over men; a woman could make a man feel awful. Men resented this. Also stated in the Malleus Maleficarum, women were born crooked and more “carnal than a man.” Eve, the first woman, was considered to be formed from the rib of Adam. However, she was borne form a crooked, or bent rib, and therefore “through this defect she is an imperfect animal, she always deceives” (Kramer 44). Women were branded imperfect and underhanded from the beginning of time. Because women have these inherent characteristics, they are more likely to “abjure [their] faith, which is the root of witchcraft” (44). This provides the very basis of misogyny that leads the attack on women being witches. There are also many other characteristics of a “would-be-witch” that a woman could acquire herself through society.If a woman was not married, not true to the ideals that a woman should be, she was a threat to men....
