A Midwifes Tale---thematic question

Woman in the late 18th early 19th century weren’t just daughters and wives. They were mothers, cooks, cleaners, friends and neighbors. They made their own clothes and cloth. Some were doctors assistants, some were midwifes. They helped keep the towns in order, and participated in churches and group gatherings. They were an important role in keeping the towns in working condition.
Cloth making was an important chore the women encountered. They would have to make enough clothes for there family, and enough bedding to go around. You couldn’t just buy it in the store, and go home to see if it fit, you’d have to make the yarn, and then spin the yarn, and so forth. After a husband and wife got married, before they moved in, the wife would have to spend a month making clothes and a quilt.
Someone had to do the cooking, and let me tell you, it wouldn’t be the men. Women would cook for everyone in there household, including any extras that might have stopped by. Cooking was a chore, because they didn’t just say, “go to the fridge, grab the chicken and put it in the crock-pot.” They had to go out to the chicken coop, kill the chicken, pluck it, then prepare it. They had to grow their own food to prepare, making another daily chore gardening.
In little towns, everyone knew everyone. Therefore, you had to be a respectable neighbor, even if your neighbor wasn’t as nice. It was proper to be a neighbor willing to help in times of need, or when asked to. Women would help cook, take care of their kids, along with someone else’s when and if the time came. It seemed that each family had a certain responsibility towards the next. Friendship was a way to have someone you can fall back on when times get rough.
The most important job of this time, would have to be mothering. In the 18th century, families ranged from 1 kid to 16 kids. Can you imagine? Trying to mend clothes for the restless boys, or trying to make dresses for the girls? That’s a lot of work for one. The way they raised there kids, was the most important thing. They wanted their kids to be reliable workers, honest and trustworthy, and to be respectful. That’s a lot of work for one person. But they still managed to raise them right.
Midwifes, doctors assistants, or nurses were also important roles women took over. There were few midwifes and doctors per town, so those they had, were stretched between families, trying to take care of the sick, and those giving birth. It was an especially important job during times of serious illness, or in problem births. From broken bones, to concussions to death, the midwife or doctor of the town will be called.
Woman back then, would find a way to go to church with their families every Sunday. They were active Christians in there towns. They participated in parties or dances, weddings or births. Not only were they active Christians, they were also active in each others lives. Family meant a lot to them, and so didn’t their faith.
Women were very valuable in the late 18th early 19th century. They weren’t just people taking up space. They took care of their families, fed them, clothed them, brought them to church. They weren’t hidden and shielded from the world like women in some countries. They where out and about, helping to provide for their family just as much as the men in their families.