The colonial period was in part a "golden age" for women, for, although it possessed some qualities of a golden age, it also had aspects that prevented it from being fully a time of prosperity for women. As the colonial period progressed, changes in population, lifestyles, and opportunities had effects that opened new doors for women and prevented them from reaching their full potential. The inconsistent fluctuation of the population had a profound effect on women that could have both supported the idea that the colonial period was a "golden age", as well as been taken away from it. First, the ratio between men and women was dramatically unbalanced. The number of men in the colonies far exceeded that of women. Lois Green Carr and Lorena S. Walsh in The Planter's Wife: The Experience of White Women in Seventeenth-Century Maryland, Lois Green Carr and Lorena S. Walsh state, "[...] in 1634-1635 men outnumbered women women six to one." In addition to this, "from 1650 to at least 1680 most sources show a ratio of three to one." Even in 1704, in Maryland, the number of men exceeded that of women, as "a census listed 30,437 whites, of whom 7,163 were adult women." As a result of disproportionate gender ratios, women had more choice in marriage. Louis Green Carr and Lorena S. Walsh state: "There is some evidence that the absence of relatives and the pressures of the sex ratio created conditions of sexual freedom in courtship which were not customary in England." Since men usually died before their younger wives, many women remarried. However, there were many dangers and obstacles that women faced while traveling to the new world and while living in the colonies, which could argue that the colonial period... middle of paper... economic success of the colonies. Society's rules and laws have held women back, but they have also gained more influence, power, and opportunity. Although they were not allowed to participate in politics, in 1780 women received better educational opportunities. In addition to this, women also received more rights and goods. For example, men put their wives in their wills and gave them lands and/or possessions for both their wives and their children. Finally, as the colonial period progressed, women received fair judgment in divorce cases. The colonial period was in part a "golden age". This time period possessed qualities that also allowed women to advance and had some aspects that held them back. Through population, lifestyles and opportunities, the female gender has thrived and been stripped of some rights that limited women's freedom and choices.