role of women, was traditionally regarded as their major social role. (Booth 157) For the majority of women during this period their time and efforts centered on the home. Men were the heads of the household and women acted in a supporting role to the family unit. If a woman did not have a husband, she was probably assisting a parent, relation, or master, but this was rare. Women fed the family, made clothing and household goods, cleaned house and clothing, cared for and raised the children, and served as nurse and midwife to other family units and members. Few household items were purchased, and most items were manufactured in the home. Pots and pans, cutlery, salt, and tea would come from shops (most likely these were imported goods), but candles; soap, clothing, and food were domestic products that took countless hours of work to produce. Life and its daily routine were labor-intensive for most women in the beginning of this century.Diaries of women in this century show hours devoted to ironing, cooking, baking, sewing and knitting. (Booth 201) Women would preserve fruit and vegetables; and then they butcher and prepare poultry, beef, and pork. These were part of women's chores whether they lived in urban or rural areas. In urban areas, labor and materials were more readily available, for those who could afford it, and consequently less time had to be spent on domestic chores. As time progressed and the colonies became more civilized the roles of women changed. Instead of merely surviving women began to have leisure time on their hands. This was due to a number of reasons including increased labor availability, population increases, and the success of their husbands in their careers or plantations. Of course, this is merely a few reasons for these changes not all could be mentioned in this paper. What is important is the result. In this time frame of the century, women created or procured households that included it...
