Life for women in the medieval era was less than ideal. Women had little autonomy, and only had two avenues to pursue, a life dedicated to God or to marriage. Yet, the station of women within society changed after the bubonic plague, due to the lack of people to perform necessary labor. This new found freedom that women were granted during the post-plague years did not rise from a permanent social shift in favor of women, but resulted from the void left by the millions that died. This paper suggests that the lives of women temporarily improved after the plague, but this did not bring about a permanent change for women's station within society. The plague resulted in temporary changes to cope with the labor shortage. However it did not permanently change the roles and standing of Late Medieval women. Once Europe began to recover its population women were forced back into a lower station in society.
