Effects Of Puritan Women On Society

The Commission of the Puritan Women
The Puritans were a fracture of the English Church. They sought to walk closer to their God by following every written letter of the Scriptures. This paper seeks to shed some light into the life of the Puritan women and the effects of this religion had on society today.
To be a women of Puritan faith was not a paltry task, it required fortitude, strength, and an infinite amount of patients. The Puritans had strictly defined gender roles establish by their priest in the Bible, scriptures such as 1 Peter 3:7 "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with your wives with understanding, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel..." And Colossians 3:18 "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the
Lord." Guided the Puritans to the believes that it is God's will for men to be the superior sex.
A revered Puritan minister, named Cotton Mather, frequently wrote of how the most respectable of their women were the ones who had developed their faith through prayer and bravery during the pains of childbirth. It seems that the measure of a woman's holiness lies in her long-suffering and ability to maintain contentment and cheer in her duty, even in the worst of situations. Take the example of Jared Davis' wife, who endured many sins committed against her by her own husband, yet she bore his cruelty with grace and unconditional forgiveness all the while praying for his spiritual soul to be recovered. She was praised for her resolve by many of the Puritan men. Perhaps clinging to 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his believing wife...". The account of Jaron Davis and his wife helps us to understand the expectations of a Puritans female. It seems ironic that the highest honor a Puritan woman could receive was in the apparent temperament with which she bore her dishonor. This stood because of their interpretation of the bible. A frequent discrepancy is
that although both men and women were each assigned their God given roles. There was more leniency for a male to explore vices and behaviors outside of his charge, than the graces shown to his female counterpart. This speaks to describe some Puritan men, though not to paint all Puritan been in the same light. History tends to remember notable reports, however, many Puritan men show love and compassion to their wives and children. A portion of Puritans men strived to be good husbands and faithful men of God in accordance to their religion. Likewise, many Puritan women do not resent the station, But held their devoir as an honor. Puritan beliefs have greatly influenced the modern view of what a "traditional" family and what a womanly position in society. A father who works to provide for his family and a mother who cares for the children and home has long been the standard, however, in recent years it is perfectly expectable to have a family outside of this norm, but it is still titled "non-traditional" exposing the Puritans lasting impact on modern life.