Did Colonial New England Women Enjoy Significant Economic Autonomy? " .
There are good arguments to back up both "yes"" and "no"" answers. Authors Gloria Main and Lyle Koehler both wrote detailed accounts of early New England women and their economic autonomies. Gloria Main believed that women in New England were given a great deal of participation in the economic work of the area they lived in, and enjoyed some of the economic freedoms. She also believed that women were appreciated for their contributions and quality of labor in New England's economy. On the other side of the argument, Lyle Koehler believed that women in New England were discouraged by the Puritan beliefs prevalent at the time. This caused the women to be unproductive, unmotivated and unable to provide major contributions to the economic region. There were many restrictions that added to a rise in annoyance and disappointment by the more ambitious women of the time. However, I personally do not believe the colonial women had significant autonomy. Women in New England were treated differently by the society of that time. Women's typical involvement to society was limited to working around the house and being a wife/mother. And with those jobs came duties such as "cooking and sewing, while boys could learn the "secrets" of any number of trades, including blacksmithing, husbandry, shop management, milling, carpentry and seamanship"" (Koehler,10). .
After reading both sides of the argument, I believe that there is not enough evidence presented to show women enjoyed significant economic autonomy. In the 1600's to 1700's women had fewer economic freedoms and opportunities than men. "It is unlikely that those daughters who never served as apprentices learned any of the male occupational "secrets," because limited opportunities for occupational training, as well as denial of access to public schools, put at a disadvantage any "strong-minded" woman who wished to advance in the world of work "(Koehler10).
