Chapter 3: The Family in Historical Perspective

Summary

Chapter 3 discusses different cultures’ family structures in colonial America, which was founded by English Puritans. To them the family served as a business, school, vocational institute, church, house of correction, and welfare institution. Women were generally subordinate to men, although they could run businesses, etc. Husbands, essentially, were allowed to cheat on their wives (frowned upon but not vocalized when done) but not vice versa. Over 2/3 of every child born to these early colonies didn’t live to see the age of 10. The American Indians were at 18 million in population and spoke roughly 300 languages by the time Europeans came to North America. Tribes today speak 150 languages. 25% of the tribes were matrilineal – the family descent was traced through the mother’s lineage. Women were held in high regard, and had much power. European cultures, primarily French, Spanish, Portuguese, and British played a huge role in the destruction of the American Indians’ culture. African Americans were first brought to North America in 1619 but by the 1660s lost many of the rights they originally had. Slavery became very abundant throughout America. Men and women were not allowed to legally marry, but were encouraged to reproduce so that owners had more slaves. Many female slaves birthed children from permitted sexual encounters with their owners. The domestic “house-work” was just as hard as the fieldwork. Mexican Americans were hired as cheap labor. Their society incorporated familism – the family came before the individual well-being. Women were guardians of the traditions. The common double standard that men could do what they wanted but women had to obey was a part of Mexican American societies. The cult of domesticity glorified the role of women; they were to take over the full role of the home. Children became less dependant on their fathers for economic support as land became less to be divided. The unskilled immigrants entering America spurred the Industrial Revolution. There were two waves of immigrants from the 1820s to the 1930s. Many unskilled laborers took low paying jobs for capitalist men. Women barely worked in industries, and if they did it were for low wages. Immigrants were housed in tight spaces, and the general health was atrocious. These immigrants, like all other cultures in the Americas (besides the white people) were met with enormous amounts of prejudice and discrimination. The Great Depression of the 1930s was greatly felt by the working class and poor families. The work rate for women went up and the oldest girl took on the family roles they usually portrayed. World War II affected the family immensely. Women took on many of the industrial jobs that men who were fighting left. At the end of the war divorce rates reached an all time high. During the golden fifties women’s roles went back to taking care of the family. Birth rates surged and many people moved to the suburbs. This was considered the ideal life. This decade however faced many secretive problems within the families. Drug use boomed from ’55 to ’59, severe discrimination occurred towards blacks and other ethnic cultures, 20% of women had paying jobs, and many more problems existed. From the ‘50s to the ‘00s the number of single-parent households boomed. Gender roles changed as women began to have a more equal stance to men in the work force.

Points of Interest

I thought it was incredibly interesting reading about the structures of the families in different cultures. I learned a lot about the Puritan settlers on Plymouth – which thoroughly interest me because I am told that I’m related to John Alden, a barrel maker on the mayflower, through my mother’s mother’s lineage. I loved reading about the things that were bad in the “golden fifties” within the family structure.

Concern

I guess my main concern is that the roles that women played during the “idyllic age” are all the same today, except with women now working more. My point is that women seem to have MORE on their shoulders today than they did 50-60 years ago. Much of modern-day media that sells the “stereotypical woman’s job” is still advertising to only women. I’ll give an example. Consider this Swiffer Jet Ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRPeYhW_qG4

Watch it and ask yourself what you see? The woman is the one cleaning up. She’s happy with her new mop, the old one doesn’t like this. This advertisement is actually pointing out that women have emotional relationships to their mops, and essentially other household cleaning supplies.

I guess my main point is that even though women are equal with men in terms of schooling and careers, their stereotypical roles in our society are expected to be kept up, which bothers me if we are to say that men and women are equal.

Steve Boser