"In households of all social ranks ,women were increasingly likely to tend poultry, dairies, and vegetable and herb gardens, all of which contributed to the improvements and diversification of the diets of all white southerners" (Kiener, 1996, p.466).
Regardless of where they lived or how much money their family had, colonial women had many responsibilities. These responsibilities were largely based on the region in which they lived, the wealth of their family, and their marital status. Early North Carolina settlers were primarily planters, so the life of a woman in colonial North Carolina whose husband was a small planter would not be the same as a women in New England whose husband was a merchant, nor would her responsibilities be the same. Although the ideas of the proper role for women (handling the domestic realm of the home) came with the immigrants (Sage, 2007), the necessities of a difficult life in a new land demanded that the traditional divisions of labor be altered (Kamensky, 1995, p. 34). However, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that women actually did more tasks that were traditionally mens work. "...there is no evidence to suggest that they [men] engaged in the daily care of infants or toddlers. Diapering, feeding, bathing, cooking, and other everyday tasks of childcare were left to wives, older daughters, or servants" (Mintz, 2006)
The first and foremost responsibility of any Colonial wife was to have children. "Here there were on one the one hand an abundance of food, building materials, firewood, and other raw products, and on the other a small population and a great scarcity of labor" (Spruhill, 1938, p. 45).
The information in the following links demonstrate the various responsibilities and how they were performed by the women of the time.
The first and foremost responsibility of any Colonial wife was to have children. "Here there were on one the one hand an abundance of food, building materials, firewood, and other raw products, and on the other a small population and a great scarcity of labor" (Spruhill, 1938, p. 45).
The information in the following links demonstrate the various responsibilities and how they were performed by the women of the time.