what is the role of women in the south during the 1830s, and 1840s?

Answer 1

The answer depends on their socio-economic status.

Upper crust women: They were expected to run the household and the servants. Entertainment was their domain; because their world was different from ours, parties and dances were the predominant idle activity. Child-rearing was delegated to servants as was most nursing chores. They were to act as adjuncts, advisors and assistants to their husbands.

Middle-class women: Their role had some of the same functions as the uppercrust but included more actual 'work'. The merchant class exemplifies this; wives would work in the store with their husband or assist him with paperwork. They usually had at least one servant but were more active in their children's lives. Many of these women were teachers and professional nurses. Some worked in stores in cities.

Lower class: In this class, the difference was negligible. Although traditional gender roles did not disappear at this economic level, they worked as hard as men. They worked in the fields, tended to the animals, raised their children and sometimes those of others, nursed neighbors, put up fences alongside their men, and had to fix all the meals, mend the clothes, and keep house. A large number of these unmarried women acted as servants to the rich. If they were married, the h/w would live and work together as servants.