Final answer:
Southern women in the antebellum South were not held to the same standard of Christian purity as their husbands but were subject to a more domestic and subservient role that was tied to their husbands' reputation, reflecting the deeply patriarchal society and the distinct expectations for men and women.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, Southern women were not held to the same standard of Christian purity as their husbands because of the elite code of honor. The antebellum South's society dictated gender roles and expectations that were rooted in deeply patriarchal views. White southern men, especially the wealthy planters, were the sovereigns of the household and public domains, while White women were relegated to a largely domestic and subservient role. The Southern code of honor, which encompassed the preservation of a woman's purity and submissiveness, was distinct from men's honor, which was concerned with public reputation and dominance over others, including women and enslaved people. The concept of honor and purity for women was not only about personal virtue but also linked to the family's and, by extension, the husband's reputation. Therefore, the standard of purity for women was part of upholding the patriarchal system, different from the standards men were subject to.
Women's subordination to male patriarchs was consistent throughout the social tiers, where they lived under the strict protection and control of men. The ideal southern lady was presented as a paragon of virtue, but this idealization often clashed with the harsh realities they endured, such as the trauma of childbirth and loneliness. Writers of the period, reflecting societal attitudes, often celebrated this idealized version of southern womanhood, highlighting a woman's virtue as a reflection of her submissiveness and compliance with prescribed gender roles.