Absent Husbands, Single Wives: Success, Domesticity, and Seminuclear Families in the Nineteenth-Century Great Lakes World

Abstract

The industrial and transportation revolutions of nineteenth-century America separated work from home (at least for the growing middle class) and intensified the development of masculine and feminine spheres devoted to success and domesticity, respectively. This development tended to reduce the husband's traditional patriarchal roles to that of provider only, while leaving the wife and mother with enhanced authority over household management and child rearing, a development with consequences for feminism. This article examines two extreme cases of separation of work from home: absent husbands, respected professional men, who left their wives alone for months or years and, while they provided financial support, surrendered all household authority to "single" wives.

Colour me father: Lived experiences of incarcerated fathers in northern British Columbia.

“…Capitalism depended on a vital workforce drawn from the family, so societal roles changed to accommodate capitalist goals (Aitken, 2009). For instance, fathers and mothers shared the economic responsibilities in providing for their families, but with fathers leaving the home during the day to work, mothers managed the day-to day operations of the home (Griswold, 1993;Lamb, 2000;Nutting, 2010). The home-as the center of authority and financial provision-was significantly altered by the end of the 18 th century and the beginning of the 19 th century (Griswold, 1993).…”

“…During the 19 th century men gained wealth and power in the public realm whereas women gained control over domestic matters and reproduction (Aitken, 2009;Nutting, 2010). Women gained this control partly because men were required to leave home for long periods of time, sometimes years to provide for their families (La Rossa, 1997;Nutting, 2010).…”

“…Women gained this control partly because men were required to leave home for long periods of time, sometimes years to provide for their families (La Rossa, 1997;Nutting, 2010). The once nuclear family may be described as now semi-nuclear (Nutting, 2010). Also, more and more of the functions of the family were transferred to the state, such as education, health, and the manufacture of clothing (Aitken, 2009).…”

"It's been a roller coaster of emotions": A phenomenological study of the lived experience of couples' first-time parenting and the mothers' return to employment. A New Zealand and Malaysian study

“…Fatherhood is increasingly discussed in the field of social sciences as a separate topic on its own, highlighting its significance in the study of family life and masculinity, and the need to explore it as a separate stream of study (Dermott, 2008;Inhorn, Chavkin, & Navarro, 2014;Miller & Nash, 2016). In the 19 th century, western fathers were engaged in a 'cult of success' and mothers in a 'cult of domesticity' (Nutting, 2010), but there have been notable changes since this time.…”