Primarily male settlers founded the colonies at Chesapeake and New England. However, over time women began to emerge as a significant portion of the population in these two regions. Women in the Chesapeake and New England regions had marked similarities but vastly more striking differences. .
The women of the Chesapeake and New England had many similarities. They shared many social similarities. Women were married at young ages in both areas and started producing children at an equally young age. This meant that the woman's role in both societies was primarily domestic and a large portion of their life was tending to their children. Women also contributed to their economies in the same way "their children added to the much needed labor force. Women also shared their lowly political status. Men often considered women inferior, despite the fact that women from Chesapeake enjoyed a few more liberties. This supported eventually the return of a strong patriarchal presence in both societies.
Multitudes of differences were also present between the women of the two different regions. The sex ratio in Chesapeake was that of considerably more males, whereas in New England, the sex ratio was relatively even. This meant that women in the Chesapeake had more lenience in choosing their husband, where in New England marriage was expected. New England also had a higher life expectancy, so this lead to the New England family unit becoming more stable than that of the Chesapeake. Also, women in the Chesapeake outlived their husbands more often than not, so this meant that they were often left to tend to the plantation, a heavy burden, but a position of more economic power nonetheless. Women in the New England area were less likely to be thrust in such a position of power. Where the woman in Chesapeake's main economic function was to care after the plantation, women in New England also contributed to their economies by being involved in important jobs around the farm such as gardening, spinning, weaving, and raising poultry.
