Domestic Life of Peasants in the Middle Ages There were many different classes of people in the Middle Ages. Each class had a certain lifestyle that was very different from the other. Peasants in the Middle Ages had an extremely difficult life. The domestic life of peasants during the Middle Ages was endured with many hardships and sacrifices, but in the end they were just commoners doing what they had to to survive. In the Middle Ages, there were three distinct types of peasants: serfs, slaves, and freemen. However, the majority of peasant society was made up of serfs (Gilberts par. 1). Serfs made up only half of the peasant population in the 14th century, but during the mid-11th century, an astonishing ninety percent of the peasantry, in distinct areas, were attributed to serfs. A servant was under the command of his lord and had to abide by his rules (Singman 8). Therefore it contained absolutely no political rights (Gilberts par. 2). Similarly to serfs, slaves were allowed to be sold and bought, but, in reality, the buyers of serfs did not have full ownership over them (Singman 8). If a servant ran away and remained hidden and unrestricted for a total of one year, he could declare himself free (Gilberts par. 2). Free men were, in fact, allowed to roam freely and own tiny plots of land (Gilberts par. 1). The person in charge of the farmer he "owned" was known as a lord. A lord and a peasant were very courteous to each other because a lord, no matter what, could not evict a peasant and even a peasant was not able to refuse work (Gilberts par. 1). A farmer worked three days a week on his lord's land. The peasants proved very valuable to their "landowner for the work" they were able to do. Typically, men were responsible for the home and provided most of the food and money for their family. In the Middle Ages most men were shepherds or farmers. Different types of jobs given to farmers included tasks such as raising crops and livestock and tilling the land (Hinds 53). Both women and children sometimes took part in these tasks (Hinds 53). The tasks entrusted to women consisted of food processing and household chores such as washing, cleaning, cooking, taking care of animals and, of course, children and gardening (Barter 51).