Midterm Essay Questions: Women in Colonial Times

Women in Colonial Times
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Women in Colonial Times
Women’s lives in colonial America depended on their status in the society. There were various types of women: Puritan women, colonial servants and slaves, European colonial women, native Indian women, and unmarried women and widows. Most women got married by the age of twenty and bore many children. The women were expected to respect and obey the men in the society. Generally, women had no civil rights. Only unmarried women and widows had the right to write wills, act as guardians, buy or sell property, and sue or be sued.
Puritan women were strict in their lifestyle, religion and conduct. They completely submitted to men in their families. They were modest and polite women. They wore long hair, but they always kept it covered. They detested adultery.
The European colonial women enjoyed life as much as they would in Europe. They had so much wealth and lived in mansions and town houses. Their main task was to ensure that the slaves and servants did their work in maintaining the stylish homes. They also went out to meet other women and arranged social e...