Puritan Women
Courtney Griffin
Van de Motter
American Lit
26 September 2014
Women in the Puritan Society
Rights for women in the Puritan community were very scarce. The women lacked rights because men were seen as superior to them. Even though men were the ultimate leaders of the Puritan community, women still played a vital role throughout their society. With the limited rights women possessed, they impacted the Puritan community in many ways. Puritan women had little to no rights back then; however, they did play an important role in the Puritan society through their everyday duties/roles, marriage, and religion.
The duties and roles of the Puritan women differed from that of their husband’s. In the patriarchal lifestyle, where men were the head of the household, women transferred subordination from their father to their husband (Themes and Variations in Men’s and Women’s Roles in Colonial America). Women were not to challenge men, have a temper, or be insubordinate to their husbands. Even though it was a patriarchy, husbands still entrusted the women with a wide range of practical responsibilities and viewed them as “deputy husbands” (Religion, Women, and the Family in Early America). As a housewife, they were expected to fulfill various duties throughout the day. The major duties were made up of food and clothing production, childbearing, the health of the family, and child-rearing. Being a mother was the most important role for a Puritan woman. As a mother, women had direct authority over their children. It was the Puritan women’s responsibility to bring up the children of their society correctly. Religious piety, manners, discipline, and affection were a few of the many things that the women taught their children (Childbirth and Motherhood). Through the act of child-rearing, women were able to gain social status based on their skill. Under a patriarchy, the Puritan women were still able to obtain and uphold particular rights. The different tasks that the women were
Van de Motter
American Lit
26 September 2014
Women in the Puritan Society
Rights for women in the Puritan community were very scarce. The women lacked rights because men were seen as superior to them. Even though men were the ultimate leaders of the Puritan community, women still played a vital role throughout their society. With the limited rights women possessed, they impacted the Puritan community in many ways. Puritan women had little to no rights back then; however, they did play an important role in the Puritan society through their everyday duties/roles, marriage, and religion.
The duties and roles of the Puritan women differed from that of their husband’s. In the patriarchal lifestyle, where men were the head of the household, women transferred subordination from their father to their husband (Themes and Variations in Men’s and Women’s Roles in Colonial America). Women were not to challenge men, have a temper, or be insubordinate to their husbands. Even though it was a patriarchy, husbands still entrusted the women with a wide range of practical responsibilities and viewed them as “deputy husbands” (Religion, Women, and the Family in Early America). As a housewife, they were expected to fulfill various duties throughout the day. The major duties were made up of food and clothing production, childbearing, the health of the family, and child-rearing. Being a mother was the most important role for a Puritan woman. As a mother, women had direct authority over their children. It was the Puritan women’s responsibility to bring up the children of their society correctly. Religious piety, manners, discipline, and affection were a few of the many things that the women taught their children (Childbirth and Motherhood). Through the act of child-rearing, women were able to gain social status based on their skill. Under a patriarchy, the Puritan women were still able to obtain and uphold particular rights. The different tasks that the women were