In the past decades, the role of women has been rethought and reframed. Many factors have influenced this change such as the insertion of women in the labor market, as conquests arising from the struggle of the feminist movement, the greater socio-political participation of women, among others. This essay aims to discuss the roles historically delegated to women in the families and society of European immigrants in the Itajaí Valley, in Santa Catarina, at the end of the 19th century. The methodology used in the article is a bibliographic review.