Loyalists were American pilgrims, of various ethnic foundations, who upheld the English reason during the American Progressive Conflict (1775-83). A huge number of Supporters moved to English North America during and after the conflict. This helped the populace, prompted the formation of Upper Canada and New Brunswick, and intensely affected the governmental issues and culture of what might become Canada.
As American rebels battled for autonomy from England, Followers upheld the "homeland" for various reasons. Many felt an individual steadfastness to the Crown, or were worried about the possibility that that transformation would carry bedlam to America. Many concurred with the radicals' view that America had endured wrongs on account of England. Yet, they accepted the arrangement could be worked out inside the English Realm.
Whether or not women personally supported the British Crown, they were persecuted for family connections to Loyalists. Women had few legal or political rights during this period. Under the system of coverture, a woman did not have a separate legal existence after marriage. Her rights were subsumed by (or incorporated into) her husband’s. Married women could not vote or own property on their own. If a man supported the British, his wife and children were tainted by association.
The Canadian Encyclopedia