who has probably never had to run a household without menservants. She might have been able to economise if she had a son who could chop the wood etc but I doubt that she could envisage a household of women managing without a man. This might be particularly the case living in the countryside as opposed to right in the middle of a large village or in a town where they might feel less isolated and they could perhaps employ local men occasionally for the heavy work. There's also the status thing as well around having a manservant. Just my thoughts...