The diversity of Amish womanhood is grounded on three pathways delineated by economic parameters—agrarian small farms, entrepreneurship (small shops to larger businesses), and wage labor. Regardless of these trajectories, Amish women maintain the values that define them as helpmeets and wives.
Gender Roles and Expectations
Amish women are a unique case study in that their gender roles and expectations differ substantially from those of women living in other societies. They are a conservative, religious group, and their traditional beliefs provide a framework in which they can express their femininity.
For example, in Amish society, women are expected to maintain their home and children. They are responsible for a variety of tasks such as cooking, cleaning and sewing. They also take care of the animals and garden.
They also participate in church activities and are required to live according to their community’s rules. In addition, they are expected to obey their husbands and fathers.
The Amish are a conservative, religious group that focuses on their beliefs and practices. They believe in living a simple lifestyle and are a subgroup of the Mennonite religion.
Their culture is based on their beliefs and religious teachings, and they believe that they should live according to the rules of the Bible. These beliefs and teachings are largely enforced by their religious leaders.
Despite the traditional beliefs that they are to obey their husbands and fathers, Amish women display an unexpected self-confidence and strength in their everyday life. They can achieve success in their jobs and homes.
However, there are some limitations to their role expectations. For example, Amish women have very strict rules about clothing, which is important in their culture. They must dress modestly and cover themselves when working in the fields or in the kitchen.
These rules also affect their attitudes towards women and men. For example, some Amish women have a hard time accepting their gender because they are taught that men are more suited to certain tasks than women are.
Some Amish women find this to be a problem, and they often leave their communities. They may feel that the church and their family have become too strict and that they have lost the ability to express themselves freely.
This leads them to find other ways to express themselves. They may go to work outside their family and community. Alternatively, they may decide to start their own business or shop.
Family Life
As in most families, the roles of men and women vary among Amish households. Husbands are primarily responsible for the financial well-being of the family, while wives tend to devote themselves to housework and motherhood.
Although the majority of Amish families are agricultural, some Amish women have begun to pursue businesses outside of the home. They may manage at-home stores or greenhouses, bake, or run chicken butchering shops (Horning notes).
Some Amish women have also turned to the day labor market. These work opportunities allow them to support themselves, as well as their children and grandchildren.
These businesses also provide them with the opportunity to teach their children to work hard, and develop self-reliance. One woman who owns a quilt shop hired her granddaughter to help package the quilt pieces she sells.
Many Amish women are highly respected within their communities. They serve as role models to their children, and are a central part of maintaining communal ties.
However, there are a few challenges that can arise when trying to balance the responsibilities of being a wife and a mother while managing a business and working outside the home. Those challenges include sharing household chores and taking on less-desirable tasks that are essential to the functioning of the family.
Despite these challenges, most Amish families are happy and content. They enjoy good relationships with their children and are respected in their communities for the contributions they make to society.
Amish society has traditionally been characterized by the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church, which is located in more than 200 settlements throughout the United States and Canada. Each settlement has its own church district, with autonomous congregations of about 75 baptized members. The community eschews personal home-based telephones, automobiles, social security and most types of insurance, and most Amish do not participate in state or national politics.
In addition, Amish families are known for their strict dress standards. They eschew jewelry and wear long hair in buns, which is usually cut at the nape of the neck. This reflects their respect for tradition, and their interpretation of biblical strictures against conforming to the ways of the world.
Work
The Amish world of the twentieth century has changed significantly, but many Amish men and women still live in traditional, agriculturally-based communities. Nevertheless, the changing world has also brought new opportunities for Amish women to participate in economic activities outside the home.
Despite their traditional roles as mothers, helpmeets, and members of the church, many Amish women are now working outside the family. Whether they are writing books, running businesses that reach a national clientele, or waiting tables in restaurants, Amish women are now finding ways to supplement their income in an increasingly technologically diverse world.
For example, one Lancaster Amish woman started a housecleaning business to keep her home and her aging mother’s home clean, and she soon expanded it into other cleaning jobs. This allowed her to earn extra money, and the business provided her with the opportunity to help her community by employing other Amish women who were unable to find work elsewhere.
Another Amish woman owns a quilt shop, and her customers include tourists visiting the area who seek the beautiful hand-made Amish quilts she sells. She employs her grandchildren to cut, piece, and quilt fabric, and she has several other women who work for her at different times when her quilting is busy.
The women who own this store take pride in the fact that they are able to serve their community through their work, and they feel that it is important for them to teach their children the skills necessary to succeed in life. In addition, they are able to earn additional income from their work, and the profits they make enable them to pay their bills and provide for their families.
In a recent study of midwifery practice in an Amish community, I found that Amish women were very active during labor and delivery. Their actions were conventional caregiving work associated with normative femininity, and they often engaged in tasks that involved squatting or kneeling to help with the laboring process (Berger). These women, in turn, made this type of labor a statement about their identity as Amish women. They saw birth as a hard labor that produced a tangible result and thus was highly valued in their society.
Religion
The Amish are an Anabaptist group that believes in the Bible and its teachings. In their belief, women are encouraged to give up egocentric needs to focus on family and community, in hopes that they will be rewarded with eternal life.
According to Amish scholar Karen Johnson-Weiner, the religion of the Amish is based on Biblical principles and emphasizes humility, family, community and separation from the world outside the church. These characteristics have remained consistent throughout the years, and have become a way of living for Amish families.
In many ways, their culture is a direct reflection of their faith. For example, Amish men and women are baptized by their parents and receive communion twice a year. They also wear plain clothing and follow a strict hair-rule, which has remained the same over the centuries.
Their religious beliefs are rooted in the Bible and they are very strict about following them. They adhere to a code of behavior, called the Ordnung, and they are strictly shunned if they disobey their religious rules.
Despite these limitations, some Amish women do take on certain roles. For example, some Amish women are leaders in their churches or communities. They are also active in their children’s education.
They may even be active in their communities’ economic affairs. For example, some Amish women are entrepreneurs. They run businesses that serve the local community and support them.
Although these types of businesses do not have a large clientele and are often not advertised, some Amish women are successful entrepreneurs. They are able to meet the needs of their local Amish communities without violating the rules of their church.
One reason for this is that they operate businesses that extend their culturally and religiously defined roles. In doing so, they are able to continue fulfilling their duties as wives, mothers, helpmeets and church members, while also providing for themselves and their families.
Another reason for this is that Amish women are able to maintain their roles as mothers and wife without having to work outside the home. For example, some Amish mothers manage at-home stores or greenhouses, which allow them to keep their children busy while earning a small income.
