The Doctrine of the Separate Spheres in Political Economy and Economics: Gender Equality and Classical Liberalism (Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism)

This book delves into the doctrine of separate spheres within the history of economic thought. The concept of separate spheres emerged in philosophy and has consistently been incorporated by various disciplines. This book stands as the first comprehensive exploration of how this doctrine was embraced, adapted, and contested by economists engaged in gender issues and marriage theory. Spanning the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century, it illuminates the evolution of the drive for gender equality―rooted primarily in the tradition of classical liberalism―across the landscape of economic ideas and theories. This book is a valuable resource for scholars and researchers interested in the intricate history of the interconnections among between economic thought, feminism, gender studies, and cultural studies. Contents 1 Introduction: The Doctrine of the Separate Spheres 1.1 Definition and Debate 1.2 Historical Timeline and Contents of This Book 1.3 A Note on Definitions References Part I Escaping the Doctrine of the Separate Spheres (1700s–early 1900s): The Economists’ Points of View 2 Educated Women as an Asset to Society: The Role of Classical Liberal Tradition in Modern Europe 2.1 Early Debates on the Doctrine of the Separate Spheres 2.2 Women’s Access to Higher Education: Olympe de Gouges and Mary Wollstonecraft 2.3 Economic Ideas as Tools for Women’s Emancipation: Sophie de Grouchy, Jane Marcet, and Harriet Martineau 2.4 Harriet Taylor Mill on Marriage and Divorce and Her Influence on John Stuart Mill References 3 Women and the Job Market in Victorian England and Progressive America 3.1 Women at Work: The Economic Challenges of the Time 3.2 Debates Among Economists: Gender Discrimination in Employment and Pay 3.3 Women and the Economy: Crossing the Boundaries of the Private Sphere 3.4 Women and Immigration in the Progressive Era: Sex and Race Intersected References 4 Women’s New Path Toward the Public Sphere 4.1 The Economic Debate on Women’s Suffrage 4.2 From ‘True Womanhood’ to the ‘New Woman’: The Evolution of the Marriage Debate 4.3 The Economic Debate on Prostitution 4.4 Women of Color Between Gender and Race Stereotypes References Part II The Doctrine of the Separate Spheres Between Rebirth and Rejection (1920s–early 2000s): Marriage Theory in Economics 5 Reviving the Doctrine of the Separate Spheres: The New Home Economics 5.1 The Cult of Domesticity Revised: Home Economics and Household Economics 5.2 Marriage Theory in Becker’s New Home Economics: Combining Human Capital and Labor Economics 5.3 Becker’s Treatise on the Family: The Doctrine of the Separate Spheres on Steroids 5.4 Beyond Becker: Standard Economics on Marriage Theory References 6 Feminist Economics and the Doctrine of the Separate Spheres 6.1 Feminism, Gender Equality, Care, and the Doctrine of the Separate Spheres: Friends or Foes? 6.2 Challenging Becker’s Economic Approach: Marriage Theory in Feminist Economics 6.3 Going Beyond the Doctrine of the Separate Spheres: Barbara Bergmann’s Combination of Feminist Economics and Classical Liberalism Against Becker's Approach 6.4 Are the Separate Spheres Still Separate Today? References Index