Final answer:
The Constitution excluded women from political participation due to societal norms and legal doctrines like coverture. Despite some debate about women's suffrage, their roles were traditionally seen as domestic, leading to their disenfranchisement. Only a few exceptions like New Jersey briefly granted suffrage to single property-owning women.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the Constitution was drafted in 1787, women were primarily left out of the political field mainly due to societal norms of the time that considered women as having a limited role in public affairs. This perspective was further reinforced by concepts such as coverture, where married women could not own property independent of their husbands, thus disqualifying many from meeting voter qualifications which often required property ownership. Additionally, women's roles were largely seen as domestic, and their political involvement was frowned upon; opponents of women's suffrage cited the perceived delicacy and domestic priorities of the female sex as justification for their disenfranchisement.
During the time of the Constitution's framing, there was also a debate about the role of women in politics. In New Jersey, for example, the political environment was sufficiently influenced by revolutionary-era political strife that it led to the extension of suffrage to single, property-owning women. Despite this, the political rights of women were not a prominent theme at the Constitutional Convention, and this influenced the drafting process and resulted in the exclusion of women from direct political participation in the new government. The influence of Abigail Adams and other women who advocated for consideration in the new legal codes was noted but did not result in immediate inclusion in political rights.