Why Women? The Gendered Violence of Witch Hunts
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Introduction: The Gender of Persecution
Of the 40,000-60,000 people executed in the European witch hunts, 75-85% were women. This was not coincidence. The witch hunts were gendered violenceβa systematic campaign to eliminate women who threatened patriarchal order, who possessed knowledge and power, who refused to conform.
The question is not "Why did they believe in witches?" but "Why did they believe witches were women?" The answer reveals how witch persecution functioned as a tool of social control, how it targeted specific types of women, and how it served to terrorize all women into submission.
This is the third article in our Witch Hunts series. We now examine who was accused, why they were targeted, and how the witch hunts functioned as femicide disguised as spiritual warfare.
The Statistics: A Gendered Genocide
Overall Gender Breakdown
- Europe-wide: 75-85% women
- Germany: 80% women
- France: 85% women
- England: 90% women
- Scotland: 85% women
- Iceland: 90% men (rare exception)
- Russia: 75% men (another exception)
Regional Variations
In most of Europe, witch = woman. The exceptions (Iceland, Russia, Estonia) prove the rule: where different social dynamics existed, the gender ratio shifted. But in the heartland of the witch huntsβGermany, France, Switzerland, Scotlandβthe victims were overwhelmingly female.
Who Was Accused? The Profile of a Witch
Age: The Elderly
Majority: Women over 50 years old
Why:
- Post-menopausal women were seen as "unnatural" (no longer serving reproductive function)
- Elderly women often lived alone (widows, spinsters)
- Accumulated knowledge of herbs, healing, midwifery made them powerful and threatening
- Physical changes of aging (wrinkles, bent posture) fit the witch stereotype
- Less able to defend themselves physically or legally
Marital Status: The Unmarried and Widowed
High-risk groups:
- Widows: Especially those who inherited property
- Spinsters: Unmarried women living independently
- Separated women: Those who left abusive husbands
Why:
- Women without male protection were vulnerable
- Independent women threatened patriarchal family structure
- Widows' property could be seized upon conviction
- Unmarried women's sexuality was seen as dangerous and uncontrolled
Economic Status: The Poor (and Sometimes the Rich)
Most common: Poor women, beggars, those dependent on charity
Why:
- Easy targets with no resources for defense
- Blamed for community misfortunes
- Seen as burdens on society
But also: Wealthy widows and property owners
Why:
- Greedβseizing their property
- Resentment of female economic power
- Eliminating competition
Occupation: Healers, Midwives, Herbalists
High-risk professions:
- Midwives: Controlled birth, had intimate knowledge of women's bodies
- Healers: Used herbs and folk medicine
- Wise women: Provided counsel, divination, love magic
- Brewsters: Women who brewed ale (economic competition to male brewers)
Why targeted:
- Possessed knowledge that threatened male medical monopoly
- Had power over life and death (birth, healing)
- Were economically independent
- Practiced "women's mysteries" outside Church control
The Specific Targets: Types of Women Accused
1. The Healer
Profile: Woman with knowledge of herbs, healing, folk medicine
Why accused:
- If patient recovered: natural healing (no credit given)
- If patient died: witchcraft (blamed)
- Threatened emerging male medical profession
- Knowledge seen as "unnatural" for women
Historical context: As universities began training male doctors (who used bloodletting, mercury, and other harmful treatments), female healers (who used effective herbal remedies) were systematically eliminated.
2. The Midwife
Profile: Woman who assisted in childbirth
Why accused:
- If baby died: accused of sacrificing it to Satan
- If mother died: accused of murder
- If baby was deformed: accused of causing it through witchcraft
- Controlled women's reproductive knowledge
- Had access to placentas and umbilical cords (seen as magical ingredients)
The Malleus Maleficarum specifically targeted midwives: "No one does more harm to the Catholic faith than midwives."
3. The Widow
Profile: Woman whose husband died, especially if she inherited property
Why accused:
- Greedβseizing her land and possessions
- Suspicion she killed her husband through witchcraft
- Threat to male inheritance (sons, brothers, nephews wanted her property)
- Living independently without male control
4. The Spinster
Profile: Unmarried woman, especially if living alone
Why accused:
- Rejection of marriage seen as unnatural
- Suspected of sexual deviance (lesbianism, masturbation, sex with demons)
- Economic independence threatening
- No male protector to defend her
5. The Outspoken Woman
Profile: Woman who argued, scolded, refused to submit
Why accused:
- "Scold" and "witch" were often synonymous
- Women who talked back to men were seen as possessed
- Assertiveness in women = demonic influence
- Witch trials as punishment for female speech
6. The Beautiful Woman
Profile: Attractive woman, especially if sexually active
Why accused:
- Female beauty seen as temptation and danger
- Sexual jealousy from other women
- Male desire projected as demonic seduction
- If she rejected a man's advances: revenge accusation
7. The Beggar
Profile: Poor woman asking for charity
Why accused:
- If refused charity and misfortune followed: blamed for cursing the household
- Seen as burden on community
- Easy scapegoat for any problem
- No resources to defend herself
The Mechanisms: How Gender Shaped Persecution
Female Sexuality as Demonic
The witch hunts were obsessed with female sexuality:
- Sex with demons: Witches allegedly had intercourse with Satan and demons
- Orgies at sabbaths: Fantasies of uncontrolled female lust
- Seduction of men: Women blamed for male desire
- Reproductive control: Midwives and healers who knew contraception and abortion were especially targeted
Subtext: Female sexuality must be controlled by men (fathers, husbands, priests). Women who controlled their own sexuality were witches.
Female Knowledge as Dangerous
- Herbal knowledge: Healing became "poisoning"
- Midwifery: Assisting birth became "sacrificing babies"
- Divination: Intuition became "demonic prophecy"
- Counseling: Wisdom became "spells and enchantments"
Pattern: Women's traditional knowledge was reframed as witchcraft to justify its elimination.
Female Independence as Unnatural
- Women who lived alone = suspect
- Women who owned property = threat
- Women who spoke publicly = possessed
- Women who refused marriage = deviant
Message: Women must be under male control (father, husband, Church). Independence = witchcraft.
The Male Victims: Exceptions That Prove the Rule
Who Were the Men Accused?
- Husbands/sons of accused women: Guilt by association
- Men who defended accused women: Suspected of being bewitched or complicit
- Socially marginal men: Beggars, foreigners, disabled men
- Men in regions with different dynamics: Iceland (sorcery seen as male), Russia (different folk beliefs)
Why Fewer Men?
- Witchcraft was theologically gendered female (thanks to Malleus Maleficarum)
- Men had more legal rights and social power to defend themselves
- Male knowledge (alchemy, astrology) was "science"; female knowledge was "witchcraft"
- Patriarchal system protected men, targeted women
The Function: What Witch Hunts Accomplished
Eliminated Female Healers
Result: Male doctors monopolized medicine, despite being less effective than female herbalists for centuries.
Controlled Female Sexuality and Reproduction
Result: Women lost knowledge of contraception, abortion, and reproductive autonomy. Male clergy and doctors controlled women's bodies.
Seized Women's Property
Result: Wealth transferred from women to men (Church, state, accusers).
Terrorized All Women
Result: Women learned to be silent, submissive, dependent. The threat of accusation kept women in line for generations.
Destroyed Women's Communities
Result: Women's networks of mutual support, knowledge-sharing, and power were shattered. Women learned to distrust and betray each other.
Conclusion: Femicide by Another Name
The witch hunts were not about witchcraft. They were about eliminating women who had power, knowledge, property, or independence. They were about controlling female sexuality, labor, and bodies. They were about terrorizing women into submission.
In the next article, we will explore The Economics of Witch Hunts: Land, Power & Patriarchy. We will examine how witch trials functioned as wealth transfer, how accusations followed property lines, and how economic motives drove the persecution.
The women accused were not witches. They were healers, midwives, widows, spinsters, and rebels. They were women who refused to disappear.
We remember them. We honor them. We continue their work.
As we reflect on the shadows of history and reclaim the sacred feminine, you may find solace in deepening your own practice with tools that honor this journey, such as the shadow work tarot internal locus practice guide for brave inner excavation, or the sacred space cleanse printable energy clearing ritual kit to gently cleanse the energies of the past, and finally the divine union alignment sacred partnership field audio wav pdf to call in a world woven with reverence and respect.
