Difference Between Colonial Women Today

It is not often that I’m able to write an essay with a blatantly obvious feminist perspective. Women, as I see them, can be more moving in their words and actions than men. They have been tamed and silenced in many societies at one point or another, but men who wrote tales we now consider classic literature were inspired by the muffled fire behind women. Dangerous, alluring creatures of myth displayed the traits women harbored in their hands, fisted behind their backs. Weaved tapestries and teacakes and soft footfalls- women are all that and then some. The only difference between colonial women and women of today is that the modern woman refuses to be quieted any longer. This did not happen overnight. There were generations of women in between …show more content…
They could inherit land or money, but it wasn’t theirs to own or use. One would think this would dismiss them from the economic angle of colonial life, but that is not the case. Women were expected to follow their roles no matter how depressing or exhausting, and with humble anonymity. They often times partook in trade, swapping cooked food for goods or cloth. They woke when it was still night to ready the waking world for their husbands and children, working side by side with servants or other women in their community. Employment for women wasn’t common- those who did work willingly and refused to marry were viewed as wild and brusque. Today, women have entire careers that keep them warm at night. They can support themselves without the interference of a male presence in their homes and livelihood. This, in turn, makes their contribution to the economy more …show more content…
The fact that it was done so from a woman's perspective is what makes the book so important to history. One can obviously tell from opening her diary that women were hardly educated. She was literate enough, but all the misspellings and grammatical errors she made were preserved, proving that there could have been room for improvement in the education of women. Her straight-to-the-point entries tell of a community of women who were closely associated and worked together to support their homes from behind the scenes, with steady hands and carefully placed feet and all the patience they could muster. The cultural differences between this woman of old and women today are amazing to reflect on. Women in this day and age don’t have to be used as doormats that whisper welcomes to all who pass them without a glance of consideration. We have an equal say in governmental and political matters as our male counterparts. We are not outright shunned from society for having sex, an act so natural to humans it’s a wonder anyone would shame it. Of course, there’s still an idealistic prejudice that haunts women no matter how far we’ve