During the Age of Reformation many believed that immorality began to take hold of the people. Women especially were accused and punished for many actions including, unwed pregnancies, "inficide", witchcraft, and women who sought to live independently or rather without a superior male. Many women were jailed, fined, banished and if the offense great enough executed. Though Protestants and Catholics differed in their theology, they both seemed to perceive women in the same roles and have the same expectations. .
Throughout the Middle Ages the church was a daily part of life for the commoners. The church would check in with families to ensure that no immoral activities were being committed. If a rumor began about someone, the clerics would hold a "visitation" to meet with the suspect and decide for themselves if an immoral crime had been committed. Most often these rumors included the pregnancy of an unwed woman. Women whom found themselves in this situation would often lie about their state, denying that they were in fact pregnant. When the time came to give birth, these women would secretly give birth and usually kill the baby, which was called "inficide". After the baby had died, the mother would bury it in secret in an unmarked grave. Besides the immoral conception of the child, the church argued that by doing this a woman was withholding spiritual rights to the child, specifically the sacrament of baptism. Strict laws prohibited the secrecy of an illegitimate pregnancy to combat this issue. A woman was to make known her state of pregnancy to the officials. If a woman was found guilty of hiding her pregnancy and murdering her child, "in reparation, [she will] be punished by death and the last agony". .
Perhaps one of the most well-known persecutions of women is the fear of witchcraft. Witchcraft was taught by the church to be the enemy of Christ and a wholly evil practice.
