In Colonial America, Why Was Gossip an Important Tool of Self-Defense

In colonial America, why was gossip an important tool of self-defense for a woman who was being abused by her husband?

A) Newspapers regularly printed gossip columns.
B) A woman's word was more likely to be believed than a man's.
C) A wife had little chance of legal redress against her husband.
D) Gossip was used to warn other women.