"Deputy Husbands" are women in America in the 17th and 18th centuries whose role was not confined simply to matters within their households, as some have popularly believed.
Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich has come up with the term “deputy husbands” to describe women’s potential role in the colonial household. In some cases, women “shouldered male duties,” Ulrich writes. “These might be of the most menial sort—but they could also expand to include some responsibility for the external affairs of the family.”
As per Vita-brevis.org, a wife could act as a surrogate for her husband, even in legal matters, in times of necessity. The necessity might arise because of a husband’s absence—if, for example, his occupation required him to spend a great deal of time away from home.
American women’s history has been full of pioneers: women who fought for their rights, worked hard to be treated equally and made great strides in fields like science, politics, sports, literature and art.
These are just a few of the remarkable accomplishments that historians not to mention people across the United States celebrate. Check out “Famous Firsts” in Women’s History at History.com.