The Roles and Status of Women in Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Indigenous Society

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From the available sources, what can we say about the roles and status of Aboriginal women in eighteenth and early nineteenth century indigenous society? Between the 18th and 20th of January 1788 the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay Australia. Led by Captain Arthur Phillip the First Fleet was comprised of 11 ships and an estimated 1, 350 people. The dawn of British colonization in 1788 led to numerous anthropological and sociological studies on the roles and status of Aboriginal women in eighteenth and early nineteenth indigenous society; prior to and post British colonization. From studying the large variety of sources now available there is much that can be said about the roles and status of Aboriginal women during in the aforementioned time period. It has been commonly established throughout numerous anthropological studies that ‘in normal circumstances… the mission of woman is to bring forth children, suckle them, and attend to their early education; the father’s role is to provide for the family’s subsistence.’ During the eighteenth and early nineteenth century the role of the white woman corresponded greatly with this ideal. Women were the caregivers of husband and children while the men were the ‘breadwinners’ of the family. However, according to Catherine H. Berndt there existed a large contrast between the roles of Aboriginal women and white women of the same time period. In the indigenous society of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century Aboriginal women were seen as just as capable of supporting themselves as men, they were independent and self-sufficient. Rather than relying entirely on their men to support them and protect their livelihood women shared the role of breadwinner within the family with their male counterparts. According to Bendt ‘as long as they were physically active and healthy women were the most consistent supporters of their

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