It was easy to dispose of these types of women; just call her a witch. According to Weisner, during the sixteenth century women were getting married at later ages than they used to be. This means that there are now a greater number of unmarried women. Also during this time, the life expectancy of women was higher than that of a man’s, mainly due to the fact that many men were dying in battle. These women were not relying on men to support them, and this independence was seen as a threat and a challenge to the male gender (268-269). In addition, many midwives were often subject to being accused and suspected of practicing witchcraft. This was largely due to the fact that many midwives were unmarried, older women who were independent and supported themselves. The premise under which the accusations fell was that the midwife was in charge of bringing the baby safely into the world and if it died or had a defect, it was because she sacrificed it to the devil (Kramer 141-142). However, the real reason lurking behind this premise is that a midwife also posed as a threat. She was unattached to any man, and she was successful. She would be called a witch to prevent her from becoming increasingly successful and independent.A widowed woman expecting to receive land or wealth from her deceased husband also had to be careful that she would not be accused of sorcery or witchcraft. If this woman were to inherit a wealthy load, it would mean that she would have a good share of the economy, thus taking it away from a man who would potentially hold such a position (269). This was a threat to the male ego and would contradict with the norms of the community. The following quote epitomizes how badly men did not want women to succeed or become self-reliant for fear that they would develop a bigger role in society: The witch was also the inversion of a good woman, and set a negative standard for women; she was argumentative, willful, independent, ...
