The Social Economic Activity And Social Position Of American Women In British North American Colonial Period

In British North American colonial period, the British North American society experienced complicate changes and reached mature. In this historical period, although many aspects of the society had bred the capitalism factors, but the hold rule status was the traditional family productions that decide the work sex division of labor pattern. Because the survival pressure was very huge, the society allowed even encouraged the women to take up jobs and participate in the social economy activity, but the feminine community that truly participate social economy activity was in few parts. They were mostly the maiden and the widow. Moreover, for the backward of the social economy conditions, the society was impossible to provide many opportunities to the women to participate social economy activity. As the majority of the feminine community, married women were still the synonym of the"housewifery". Women's housework was heavier and more tedious than the same time's Britain and the later society. It could be said, women's survival condition was more difficult than the same time's Britain and the later society. They were still in the lowest level society by domestic slave's status. In this special historical period, although the women had made important contributions to the colony economic development and social formation, their home capacity and social position had not obtained the substantive change.The colonial society had no intention to liberate the women and improve the status of women. But the women could take up jobs and participate in the social economy activity which the beforehand women were impossible to participate. Therefore, it enriched their social experience and sharpened their ability and self-confidently in the participation society. It caused the women no longer completely to imprison in the housework. It provided the detachment condition for the women to widen one's horizon and more contact societies. This was the first step to improve the status of women and liberate the women. Henceforth the women changed the sole role of housework as housewives for several thousand years, it changed the traditional ideas of"women's position in the family"in a certain extent.