What was the job of a housewife for Shakespeare's England?

Shakespeare mentions "housewife" in his works 14 times, including to identify both a "good housewife" as well as a "false housewife." These descriptions appear alongside one accusation that a woman was being someone's "franklin's housewife."

As an essential part of daily living in Shakespeare's England, I wanted to track down exactly what was involved in being a 16-17th century housewife, and there was no one better suited to give us the details than Jane Whittle, author of Women's Work in Rural England, 1500-1700.

Jane joins us today to help us explore the 16th century definition of an English housewife, including the nature, jobs, and reptuation were for this position, as well as to help us understand the history behind Shakespeare's use of that term in his plays.