Women are an integral part of the Amish community. They act as homemakers and are responsible for taking care of children, cooking, cleaning, and gardening.
There are Amish rules that women must follow. These rules are contained in the Amish Ordnung. This is a set of unwritten rules that guide the Amish way of life, and even includes Amish bedroom rules.
These rules are passed down from generation to generation.
In this article, we will discuss some of these rules, and other rules that women must follow.
What this article covers:
Rules Amish Women Must Follow
Here are some of the most well-known Amish women’s rules.
Dressing
Generally, the Amish wear simple, conservative clothing. For women, this includes long dresses, aprons, and bonnets. The clothing is usually made from dark-colored fabrics.
There are also rules about how the clothing must be worn. For example, the straps on a woman's dress must be at least two inches wide. And the dress must cover her knees when she is sitting down.
As for the color of the clothing, Amish women generally avoid bright colors. Instead, they stick to more subdued colors, like black, navy blue, and dark green. Plainness is also important. Amish women avoid wearing patterns or embroidery on their clothing.
Amish Sunday rules dictate that married women wear black caps and aprons, and plain white bonnets when going to church. Unmarried women wear white caps and aprons, and black bonnets. While working around family farms with their harvest baskets, they wear gray aprons.
There are Amish rules that apply to clothing as well. These rules state that clothing must be made from natural fibers like wool, cotton, and linen. Synthetic materials, like polyester and nylon, are not allowed.
Makeup and jewelry are also not allowed. The Amish believe these things are vain and unnecessary.
They Must Be Submissive to Their Husbands
Amish rituals and traditions, coupled with bibilical teachings, place a high value on submission. In the Amish community, women are expected to be submissive to their husbands. This means that they must defer to their husband's wishes and opinions. This dynamic can begin even before the marriage, when the couple goes through the Amish bedroom ritual, which some communities still view as an essential part of the courting process.
One of the reasons why submission is so important in the Amish community is because it helps to maintain order and stability. By having a hierarchy in which the husband is the head of the household, there’s less room for disagreement and dispute.
Another reason submission is valued is that it allows women to focus on their roles as homemakers and mothers. By submitting to their husbands, Amish women are able to avoid any type of conflict that would take away from their domestic duties.
Of course, this isn’t to say that Amish women are powerless. They still have a great deal of influence within the home and community. In many ways, they’re the backbone of the Amish community.
They Can't Cut Their Hair
Women aren’t allowed to cut their hair. According to biblical tradition, a woman's hair is her glory. Amish women typically wear their hair in a bun or a braid.
They also cover their hair with a head covering when they are outside the home. This head covering is usually a white cap or bonnet.
The Amish believe that hair is a gift from God and should be respected as such. Cutting hair is seen as an act of defiance against God's will.
Rules Amish Women Must Live By
There are several rules that govern much of Amish women’s day-to-day lifestyle that are unique. Let’s run through some of them.
Wedding Dresses Are Not White
In the Amish community, wedding dresses aren’t white. White is considered a symbol of vanity and pride. Instead, Amish women usually wear hues of blue and indigo.
The color blue is seen as a symbol of purity, faithfulness, and loyalty. Indigo is associated with heaven and eternity.
Wearing these colors on her wedding day shows the woman’s commitment to her husband and her community.
Amish women usually make their own wedding dresses. They use simple fabrics and designs that are not too flashy or showy.
The Amish believe that weddings should be a modest affair. They consider marriage a sacred covenant between a man and a woman and not something to be celebrated with lavishness or extravagance.
Their Dolls Can't Have Faces
Amish dolls are unique in that they don't have faces. The Amish believe that it is vain to create likenesses of people or animals.
Instead, their dolls are usually made from simple materials like wood or cloth. They are often left unfinished so that the child can use their imagination.
The absence of a face also symbolizes that the doll isn’t a real person. It’s meant to be a toy and nothing more.
The Amish believe that children should focus on playing with toys that teach them about practical skills like farming or cooking and these dolls have proven incredibly suitable for entertaining the children without taking too much unhealthy focus away from the reality of their duties.
Even without faces, Amish dolls are still beautiful and intricate. They’re usually hand-crafted with an abundance of attention to detail.
They Are Unlikely to Work Outside the Home
Women in the Amish community are unlikely to work outside the home. This is because their primary role is to take care of the home and family. They’re known to weave harvest baskets, vintage bread boxes, and other items that are used in the home like storage baskets for shelves and wicker dog beds.
Amish women are expected to cook, clean, and care for the children. They also often help with farm work.
While some Amish women do work outside the home, it is usually in a job that is related to the home, such as being a midwife or a teacher.
The Amish believe it’s important for women to be involved in the community. However, they also believe that women shouldn’t work outside the home if it detracts from their domestic duties.
Conclusion
What happens if a woman breaks these rules? There are Amish shunning rules that dictate what happens when someone breaks the community's rules.
Shunning is a process by which the Amish community ostracizes someone who has broken one of their rules. This person is no longer allowed to participate in Amish life or interact with other members of the community.
While shunning may seem harsh, it’s seen as a way to protect the Amish community from those who do not follow their rules. In serious cases, shunning can lead to excommunication from the community.
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