Gender Differences In Puritan Society

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According to entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim, “Women do kids. Women do cooking. Women doing everything, and yet their position in society is totally unacceptable” (“TOP 16 QUOTES BY MO IBRAHIM”). Throughout history, women have suffered various forms of injustice. These inequities are very prevalent during the Puritan times. There are similarities between the Puritan society and today’s society’s treatment and punishment of women; however, there are vast differences between the two societies as well, including rights women have gained since the Puritan times. Puritan society and today’s society share similarities in the discrimination of women. In Puritan society, women were expected to be the primary caretakers for the children and to support the household by maintaining its cleanliness and cooking meals …show more content…

In Puritan society, women’s legal rights were limited (Deering). Women were banned from the ballot box, prohibited from owning land, and restricted from suing in a court of law (Deering). In today’s society, women are granted full legal rights. Women can vote, sue, own land, and participate fully in the political lives of the country. Furthermore, Puritan women were expected to be “one with their husband”, meaning that the husband could control their wife by dictating her decisions (Deering). In today’s society, women are free to do as they choose. Women are allowed to work and decide how many children they want to have. These decisions were previously made by the woman’s husband. In the Puritan times, women were required to stay at home and tend to the children. Today, women are not required to be caretakers for children because women are allowed to have jobs. Consequently, women in today’s society have earned the same rights that men are granted, in turn, creating a large difference from the Puritan