Shaker families

Each village was governed by a leadership team consisting of two men (Elders) and two women (Eldresses).

Each house was divided so that men and women did most things separately.

They sat on opposite sides of the room in worship, at meals, and in "union meetings" held to provide supervised socialization between the sexes.

However, the daily business of a Shaker village required the brethren and sisters to interact.

Though there was a division of labor between men and women, they also cooperated in carrying out many tasks, such as harvesting apples, food production, laundry, and gathering firewood.