Ballads of the seventeenth century often contained treasonous attitudes and reflected the breaking of societal norms. However, together with music, they were also used to reflect societal norms as they could be easily and quickly distributed and therefore could reach all social spheres. This essay aims to research and investigate how seventeenth-century ballads reflected attitudes towards gender in early modern England. Historians have generally focused on the political side of ballad distribution and in particular the effect on trade. This essay aims to focus particularly on the social impact of ballads amongst the lower and middling classes; however, this essay will touch on the upper classes to compare and contrast the differences of social norms and ballads’ impact on them as a result.