Women's Roles.

The dearth of formal educational opportunities for women in the eighteenth century did not mean that women lacked education; they had an extensive and complex education that centered around managing a household and raising children. The skills necessary for this were daunting. A woman had to not only make the family's clothing but also to produce the cloth. She had to cook, process, and preserve food from crops she had planted and tended; to acquire at least a rudimentary knowledge of herbal medicines and how to apply them; to act either as a midwife or to assist midwives and know something about birthing; to tend the livestock and take care of the dairy; to educate young children; and sometimes to help with the family business. To master these skills young women learned from their mothers or served as apprentices or domestic...