 The most important religious figure in the colony was John Robinson , an original pastor of the Scrooby congregation and religious leader of the separatists throughout the Leiden years . He never actually set foot in New England , but many of his theological pronouncements shaped the nature and character of the Plymouth church . For example , Robinson stated that women and men have different social roles according to a law of nature , though neither was lesser in the eyes of God . Robinson taught that men and women have distinct but complementary roles in church , home , and society as a whole . He referred to women as the " weaker vessel " . In matters of religious understanding , he proclaimed that it was the man 's role to educate and " guide and go before " women . He also said that women should be " subject " to their husbands . Robinson also dictated the proper methods of child rearing — he prescribed a strict upbringing with a strong emphasis on corporal punishment . He believed that a child 's natural inclination towards independence was a manifestation of original sin and should thus be repressed . 
