Feminism and Motherhood in Western Europe, 1890–1970 : The Maternal Dilemma

Looking back over the fifteen years that have passed since I began the research for this book, I am truly grateful to a large number of people and institutions for the help and support that they have given me. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided a grant that enabled me to travel to libraries and archives in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. The University of Louisville funded travel to Britain and a sabbatical leave. The Institute for Research on Women and Gender of Stanford University, where I spent a semester, gave me access to Stanford's excellent libraries and a congenial atmosphere for thought and research. In addition, I thank my parents, Ann U. Allen and Franklin G. Allen, for the many forms of support that they have provided for all my endeavors. The staffs of many libraries and archives provided me with indispensable assistance. I thank David Doughan of the Fawcett Library of London (now the Women's Library) for his advice, which was based on a wide and deep knowledge of the library's materials and of women's history, and for the sense of humor that enlivened my long days of research. I also received able assistance at the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine. The Galton Society kindly gave me permission to see the records of the Eugenics Society, which are held at the Wellcome Library. Annie Dizier-Metz and the staff of the Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand provided friendly and collegial support for my research in Paris. I also thank the staffs of the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris and of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France for their help in tracking down materials. Annette Mevis and her staff received me hospitably at the International Information Centre and Archives of the Women's Movement in Amsterdam. In Germany, I am obliged to the staffs of the Landesarchiv Berlin, the Bundesarchiv Koblenz, the Bundesarchiv Lichterfelde, and the Deutscher Staatsbürgerinnen-Verband. Finally, I thank the staff of the Ekstrom Library at the University of Louisville. Delinda Buie of the Special Collections Department applied for funding to acquire several microform collections, including the excellent Gerritsen Collection, that were crucial to my research. Jim Ryan of Interlibrary Loan helped me to find many important published sources. I thank Marja-Leena Hanninen and Sondra Herman for providing translations of sources, and Gail Chooljian Nall for compiling the bibliography. Many colleagues suggested or provided research materials, helped me to navigate libraries and archives, commented on portions of this work that were contained in lectures, conference papers, and articles, or read drafts of chapters or of the manuscript as a whole. A very incomplete list of these colleagues includes Marilyn Boxer, Motherhood And Citizenship Are Terms That Are Closely Linked And Have Been Redefined Over The Past Century Due To Changes In Women's Status, Feminist Movements, And Political Developments. Mother-child Relationships Were Greatly Affected By Political Decisions During The Early 1900s, And The Maternal Role Has Been Transformed Over The Years. To Understand The Dilemmas Faced By Women Concerning Motherhood And Work, For Example, Allen Argues That The Problem Must Be Examined In Terms Of Its Demographic And Political Development Through History. Allen Highlights The Feminist Movements In Western Europe--primarily Britain, France, Germany, And The Netherlands--and Explores The Implications Of The Maternal Role For Women's Aspirations To The Rights Of Citizenship. Among The Topics Allen Explores Are The History Of The Maternal Role, Psychoanalysis And Theories On The Mother-child Relationship, Changes In Family Law From 1890-1914, The Economic Status Of Mothers, And Reproductive Responsibility. Introduction; From Destiny To Dilemma--motherhood In The Twentieth Century -- Aeons Of Wrong: Mothers In Prehistory And History -- From Patriarchy To Partnership: Feminism, Motherhood, And The Law In Western Europe, 1890-1914 -- Employment Or Endowment? The Dilemma Of Motherhood, 1890-1914 -- The Right Of The Child To Choose Its Parents: Motherhood And Reproductive Responsibility In The Prewar Era -- The Value Of Babies: Mothers, Children, And The State In Wartime, 1914-1918 -- The Double Burden: Marriage, Motherhood, And Employment In The Interwar Years -- Conscious Motherhood: Birth Control, Eugenics, And The Pursuit Of Happiness In The Interwar Era -- The Right To Be Happy: Feminism And Child-rearing During The Interwar Years -- From Motherhood To Sex Roles: The Postwar Era, 1945-1970. Ann Taylor Allen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [309]-336) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 List of Abbreviations......Page 12 Introduction: From Destiny to Dilemma—Motherhood in the Twentieth Century......Page 14 1 “Aeons of Wrong”: Mothers in Prehistory and History......Page 32 2 From Patriarchy to Partnership: Feminism, Motherhood, and the Law in Western Europe, 1890–1914......Page 54 3 Employment or Endowment? The Dilemma of Motherhood, 1890–1914......Page 76 4 “The Right of the Child to Choose its Parents”: Motherhood and Reproductive Responsibility in the Prewar Era......Page 100 5 “The Value of Babies”: Mothers, Children, and the State in Wartime, 1914–1918......Page 124 6 The Double Burden: Marriage, Motherhood, and Employment in the Interwar Years......Page 150 7 “Conscious Motherhood”: Birth Control, Eugenics, and the Pursuit of Happiness in the Interwar Era......Page 174 8 “The Right to be Happy”: Feminism and Child-Rearing during the Interwar Years......Page 200 9 From Motherhood to Sex Roles: The Postwar Era, 1945–1970......Page 222 Conclusion: A Continuing Dilemma......Page 248 Notes......Page 256 Bibliography......Page 322 A......Page 350 B......Page 351 C......Page 352 D......Page 353 F......Page 354 G......Page 356 I......Page 357 L......Page 358 M......Page 359 N......Page 361 P......Page 362 R......Page 363 S......Page 364 T......Page 365 W......Page 366 Z......Page 367 According to Allen, motherhood and citizenship are terms that are closely linked and have been redefined over the past century due to changes in women's status, feminist movements, and political developments. Mother-child relationships were greatly affected by political decisions during the early 1900s, and the maternal role has been transformed over the years. To understand the dilemmas faced by women concerning motherhood and work, for example, Allen argues that the problem must be examined in terms of its demographic and political development through history. Allen highlights the feminist movements in Western Europe - primarily Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands, and explores the implications of the maternal role for women's aspirations to the rights of citizenship. Among the topics Allen explores the history of the maternal role, psychoanalysis and theories on the mother-child relationship, changes in family law from 1890-1914, the economic status of mothers, and reproductive responsibility. "Ann Taylor Allen shows how feminists in Western Europe defined a new dilemma: how could the modern woman find fulfillment both as a mother and as an autonomous, self-determining individual? This is a comparative and transnational history that focuses on Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and includes many other Western European countries. Among the major themes are the changing forms of the family, new psychological theories of the mother-child relationship, the rights and duties of mothers as citizens, the many ways in which states attempted to control and to manipulate reproduction and child-rearing, and feminists' visions of motherhood as the free choice of a free woman."--Jacket When Nora, the heroine of Ibsen's A Doll's House, walked out the door of her comfortable home, her husband Torvald frantically sought to hold her back.