Throughout the colonial period there was a remarkable shortage of women, which var-ied with the regions and was always greatest in the frontier areas．This shortage enhanced women's status and position and allowed them to pursue different careers．The Puri-tans (清教徒) regarded idleness (无所事事) as a sin, and believed that life in an under-developed country made it necessary that each member of the community perform．an eco-nomic function．Thus work for women was not only approved but also was regarded as a civic (市民的) duty．Puritan town councils (议会) expected widows (寡妇) and independ-ent women to be self-supporting．There was no social prohibition against married women working; on the contrary, wives were expected to help their husbands in their trade and won social approval for doing extra work in or out of the home.
The vast majority of women worked within their homes, where their labor produced most articles needed for the family．The entire colonial production of cloth and clothing and partly that of shoes was in the hands of women．In addition to these occupations, women were found in many different kinds of employment．They were butchers, silversmiths and gunsmiths．They ran mills, plantations, shipyards, and every kind of shops．They were gatekeepers, jail keepers, journalists, printers, nurses, and teachers.
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