Home and Work : Housework, Wages, and the Ideology of Labor in the Early Republic

Over The Course Of A Two Hundred Year Period, Women's Domestic Labor Gradually Lost Its Footing As A Recognized Aspect Of Economic Life In America. The Image Of The Colonial Goodwife, Valued For Her Contribution To Household Prosperity, Had Been Replaced By The Image Of A Dependent And A Non-producer. This Book Is A History Of Housework In The United States Prior To The Civil War. More Particularly, It Is A History Of Women's Unpaid Domestic Labor In The Context Of The Emergence Of An Industrialized Society In The Northern United States. Boydston Argues That Just As A Capitalist Economic Order Had First To Teach That Wages Were The Measure Of A Man's Worth, It Had At The Same Time, Implicitly Or Explicitly, To Teach That Those Who Did Not Draw Wages Were Dependent And Not Essential To The Real Economy. Developing A Striking Account Of The Gender And Labor Systems That Characterized Industrializing America, Boydston Explains How This Effected The Devaluation Of Women's Unpaid Labor. Introduction -- An Oeconomical Society -- A New Source Of Profit And Support -- How Strangely Metamorphosed -- All The In-doors Work -- The True Economy Of Housekeeping -- The Political Economy Of Housework -- The Pastoralization Of Housework -- Notes -- Bibliography - Index. Jeanne Boydston. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 197-215) And Index. "Over the course of a two hundred year period, women's domestic labor gradually lost its footing as a recognized aspect of economic life in America. The image of the colonial "goodwife," valued for her contribution to household prosperity, had been replaced by the image of a "dependent" and a "non-producer." This book is a history of housework in the United States prior to the Civil War. More particularly, it is a history of women's unpaid domestic labor in the context of the emergence of an industrialized society in the northern United States. Boydston argues that just as a capitalist economic order had first to teach that wages were the measure of a man's worth, it had at the same time, implicitly or explicitly, to teach that those who did not draw wages were dependent and not essential to the "real economy." Developing a striking account of the gender and labor systems that characterized industrializing America, Boydston explains how this effected the devaluation of women's unpaid labor."--Résumé de l'éditeur Frontmatter Introduction (page ix) I An "Œconomical Society" (page 1) II "A New Source of Profit and Support (page 30) III "How Strangely Metamorphosed" (page 56) IV "All the In-doors Work" (page 75) V "The True Economy of Housekeeping" (page 99) VI The Political Enemy of Housework (page 120) VII The Pastoralization of Housework (page 142) Notes (page 164) Bibliography (page 197) Index (page 217) Annotation This book is a history of housework in the United States prior to the Civil War. More particularly, it is a history of women's unpaid domestic labour in the context of the emergence of an industrialized society in the northern United States