Why did most women of the Third Estate work?

Correct answer: To earn a living

The direct answer is B: most women of the Third Estate worked to earn a living and support their families. The Third Estate included peasants, workers, artisans, small traders, and the urban poor. Women in these groups often had to contribute to household income because food and other necessities were expensive and family resources were limited. They worked as domestic servants, laundresses, seamstresses, sellers, and in other occupations. B is correct because economic necessity was the main reason. A is wrong because work was not mainly for entertainment. C is wrong because these women were not generally working to decorate the royal court. D is wrong because commanding the army was not the ordinary reason for their work. This does not mean every woman had exactly the same job; it means the broad class-based explanation is livelihood. Memory cue: Third Estate women worked because families needed income.