Women at Home in the 20th Century

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Nowadays, despite the world becoming remarkably more tolerant in various respects, some gender stereotypes persist. For instance, an aspect of gender particularly affects labor distribution. It is impossible to deny that women today have more career opportunities and self-realization possibilities. However, prejudices and stereotypes as to what women should and should not do still exist in modern society. Moreover, they date back to the previous century, even much earlier. Therefore, it seems significant to analyze the developing gendered labor distribution of the past and identify its today’s persistence.

To start with, it is essential to research the issue in time and conditions where it only began to emerge. In the late 18^thand early 19^th, American society was rapidly developing with multiple innovations and reading revolution. Therefore, emotions, feelings, and opinions were constructed and expressed in a new, unfamiliar way. In addition, labor distribution both in the household and the work outside the home also underwent some changes.

According to Blauvelt and Blauvelt (2007), women’s housework of 1780-1830 years is complicated to determine since their lifestyle can be observed almost only by studying their diaries. The case is such journals were kept mostly solely by wealthy women who did practically no housework. At the same time, female servants were working hard and, consequently, had no opportunity to write a diary. All in all, in this exact period, women’s housework was not significantly influenced by social changes, although a basis for some significant alterations was founded.

One of the central events of the nineteenth century was women’s fight for education, which would mean that they would no longer be bound to household labor and taking care of children. What is more important, women gained the right to be educated and then, consequently, to apply the received knowledge in new professions which gave them an opportunity to become scientists, doctors, teachers, businesspeople, and so on. However, in the middle of the 20^th century, American women took a step back, returning to the position of a housewife with no ambitions apart from maintaining the household and caring for children.

According to Friedan, Quindlen, and Collins (2013), “by the end of the nineteen-fifties, the average marriage age of women in America dropped to 20 and was still dropping, into the teens” (10). Only approximately a century ago, women sought to evolve out of the role of a housekeeper and childminder. At that time, they were coming back to exactly these positions and got stranded in the “house-children” routine. However, they were not particularly satisfied with the situation and were becoming aware of it.

The background of this unspoken agreement of American women to maintain such a lifestyle can be traced to the end of the seventeenth century. Schiff (2015) states the idea that Salem, along with all the terrifying evens around it, has left its trails on the nation and country. It was one of the most remarkable periods in history when women (mostly) were a central part. On the other hand, it seems to have worked as a declining trigger. After a considerable breakthrough in terms of education and career, women probably felt certain anxiety that it might put them again into the center and lead to similar consequences as Salem’s situation did.

However, as feminism began to strengthen in the 20^th century, the term “witch” started to appear again. For instance, Hassett-Walker (2018) mentioned Woody Allen, who stated that women fighting against sexual harassment create the atmosphere of a witch hunt. In response to that, Lindy West wrote, “the witches are coming [for sexual harassers and rapists] … we have our stories, and we’re going to keep telling them” (Hassett-Walker, 2018, par. 15). Therefore, it seems that not only did Salem make women hide in the 20^th century, but it also influenced their new force to continue to want and achieve more.

As for the interfamilial division of household labor during the 20^th and 21st centuries, this issue has mostly been utterly disputable. Sullivan (2018) notes that “the performance of housework by women and men within couples has long been regarded as an important indicator of marital power” (378). Mostly, such an opinion appears as a result of a generally negative perception of household labor. In other words, the one who has a higher position in the household makes another one do more housework.

Therefore, taking into account the fact that in the twentieth century, more American women started to get married instead of going to college, it is apparent that housework was supposed to be done by them. In the first half of the century, everything seemed to be well organized and logical. A partner who worked, therefore, supported the family economically (usually a husband) while another partner (usually a wife) stayed at home, did the housework, and cared for children.

However, a remarkable mismatch occurred when, in the 1970-s, women in increasing numbers started to enter the labor force by doing more paid work. The case is, according to Sullivan (2018), that “unequal gender distribution of unpaid work continued” (378). Moreover, such issues appeared not only between white heterosexual couples but among all races and sexualities. Interestingly enough, these problems are present nowadays, too, as there is still a correlation between education level and the following career and the amount of the housework done. One more curious fact is that, although educated women tend to do less housework, they generally care more for children (Sullivan 2018).

To sum everything mentioned above up, American women’s unpaid and paid labor and general social state have changed remarkably throughout history. All the periods affected current women’s status in many respects, and every period can be considered as a significant part. Salem period, where women were judged mostly because of their abilities and developed skills, was a crucial starting point.

The breakthrough that followed also gained women a lot since they could obtain knowledge, skills, and, as a result, various career opportunities. The period of lull and hiding in marriages and families led to the 20^th century with its new demands and requests, because of which women become aware of their dormant abilities and capacity. In its turn, it made women realize that the hiding period resulted in their being stranded in housework duties and in an image of a housewife who wants only to care for children and husband.

However, nowadays, gender equality seems to be rising, owing in large part to developing feminism and general social progress. Although further research of the issue and its changes particularly is needed, the future looks promising as no prerequisite for a decline in gender equality development is present. It is possible to conclude that American women successfully fight for themselves, and the consequences, though slowly, appear.

References

Blauvelt, Mary Taylor, and Martha Tomhave Blauvelt. 2007. The Work of the Heart: Young Women and Emotion, 1780-1830. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.

Hassett-Walker, Connie. 2018. “What the Salem Witches Can Teach Us About How We Treat Women Today.” The Washington Post. Web.

Friedan, Betty, Anna Quindlen, and Gail Collins. 2013. The Feminine Mystique (50th Anniversary Edition). New York: W. W. Norton.

Schiff, Stacy. 2015. The Witches: Salem, 1692. Boston: Little, Brown.

Sullivan, Oriel. 2018. “The Gendered Division of Household Labor.” In Handbook of the Sociology of Gender, edited by B. J. Risman et al., 377-392. New York: Springer, Cham.

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Women at Home in the 20th Century

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