Final answer:
Mary Boykin Chesnut's writings echoed the frustrations of upper-class white women with the patriarchal nature of Southern society, as they faced limited rights and rigid gender roles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mary Boykin Chesnut's writings reflected the frustrations of many upper-class white women with the patriarchal nature of Southern society. Despite the crucial role of women in antebellum reform movements such as temperance and abolition, they faced significant restrictions on their rights and participation in the public sphere.
Within the plantation household, men held the ultimate authority and represented the family in the larger world of politics, business, and war, while white women were mainly confined to subservient domestic roles. The antebellum era, particularly in the South, was marked by rigid gender roles that enforced women's subordinate status, limiting their education, suffrage, and economic opportunities.