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Gender Roles In Colonial Times

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From colonial times to the late 19th century women were treated as weak and inferior to men. Over the years and several events such as the American Revolution and Great Awakening women worked on gaining rights and opportunities such as men. How did gender roles from colonial times to early 19th century define men and women’s political and economic life? During the year’s women had little to no role in politics because they were seen as weak, unintelligent, inferior, and property. As for men, it was socially and morally acceptable to work for a money and play a part in politics. Men could do anything from voting to holding a position in office. Just because of your gender, which at the time is the biological sex you were born as, you were automatically …show more content…

The reason for the change being that women begin to fight for the rights and equality they deserve.
In early colonial times gender roles were not a huge issue. Women knew what was morally acceptable, and they were pretty content with living with that. Do not get me wrong, women faced issues and were unhappy but they were just not doing anything to change the situation. From the beginning, the colonies had their beliefs on men and women and how women were inferior. I would say that being a woman at this time could even be compared to being a slave in ways. It was said that, “Most women in the years preceding the American Revolution continued to experience their lives as their mothers and grandmothers had, shaped most powerfully by the constantly recurring cycles of birth and pregnancy and by the arduous physical labor of housewifery.” (Evans 42) However, there were exceptions for in-city housewives, who sometimes traded goods to help provide for their families. This was an option other than just housewifery, where you did not make money. The trade helped contribute to the economy in a way, but this was about the most

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