what was the puritan ideal of women

The ideal Puritan woman was what has sometimes been called a "helpmeet" or a "goodwife." Women were expected to marry and serve as a godly mother to the children that were born into their households. Women were generally expected not to play a public role in Puritan communities but rather to maintain the household. As some historians have observed, this entailed a great deal of responsibility. It meant that Puritan women sometimes had to manage financial affairs, conduct family business, and fill other roles that we would generally associate with masculinity in early America. Women were believed to be crucial to the process of raising godly children, and, while Puritan children were often educated outside the home (unlike most children anywhere in early America), women were ultimately responsible for their moral upbringing. This somewhat contradicted the belief that women were weak, easily tempted, and themselves the source of temptation that led to sinful behavior. Still, women were essential to the spiritual (and therefore political and social) life of Puritan communities. They made up a majority of church membership in most towns and were expected to be literate. But the ideal woman was viewed as subordinate to her husband and silent on most public matters. The conviction and banishment of Anne Hutchinson for preaching and criticizing Puritan ministers and their theology demonstrates this point.
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/erelwom.htm