In the past, it was the woman's job to take care of the home, raise the children, and provide for her husband. The man was the head of the household and the woman did exactly what he told he to do. Appalachian people were very family oriented.
The entire family would live on the same piece of land. There were often marriages between two family groups with the result of brothers marrying sisters, etc. This resulted in "double cousins".
Almost all relationships were arranged by family members. When a young girl was old enough to bear children, her father sought out a young man to be her husband. If a young man was disapproved of, the daughter was forbidden to see him. Courtships didn't last very long. Usually very soon after the couple met, they would be married. Girls were usually thirteen to fifteen when they married and the boys fifteen to eighteen.
Most marriages took place in the brides' home, married by a justice of the peace or a minister. There was usually not a honeymoon. The young couple sometimes stayed with the girl's parents until the young man was able to save money to build their own home. There were also a fair amount of shotgun weddings in Appalachia.
The man worked to earn the money and the woman stayed home to cook, feed the livestock, clean house and raise the children. The woman rarely was seen in public and when she was, she usually was walking beside or behind her husband. It was improper for her to look another man in the eyes because it was considered flirting. She cooked the meals and usually ate by herself in the kitchen while the men of the house ate at the table.
Appalachian women stayed pregnant. It was not uncommon to have a baby every year. To the man's way of thinking, if his wife stayed pregnant she would be undesirable to other men. A lot of women died young due to the difficulty of having so many children. Large families were desired also for the fact the children would be more hands to help on the farm to raise the crops and do chores.
Go to Appalachian Culture to find out more about Appalachian people