Iroquois Women's Roles

The Roles of Women: Iroquois

The women of the Iroquois community were treated very differently than the women in European cultures. They were treated with great respect and were held in much higher positions than their European counterparts at the time. The Native women were honored whereas European women were often disregarded in their societies. The Iroquois society was healthily balanced, with respect that flowed both ways between both men and women.

The responsibilities of women in the Iroquois community came in greater numbers and importance than those of men in the community. The women were responsible for keeping the culture, meaning they would define and direct the political, social, spiritual, and economic customs within the community.

Each longhouse often occupied one clan, with one woman ruling it as Clan Mother (usually the eldest and/or more respected woman of the clan). If two members of the community were to be married, the man would then have to move into the longhouse of his wife's family and their future children would belong to her clan. They would be raised by herself and the other members of her family.

Most importantly, the women had rights to the land that they farmed and would often come together to distribute and/or redistribute land plots. The men would prepare the grounds for planting, and the women would do the rest. They would plant the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash), they would collect wild fruits, vegetables and nuts and they would prepare meals. They also made clothes with the materials they obtained and various medicines from natural resources. In fact, because of their responsibilities pertaining the land, women were the ones that owned the most things. This included blankets (that they would make from skins), cooking utensils and farming tools. The only things that men usually possessed were their clothes, weapons, and personal