Gendering Twentieth-Century Humanitarianism: An Introduction

The intimate labour of internationalism: maternalist humanitarians and the mid-twentieth century family planning movement

“…43 With these narratives, family planning workers likened themselves to modern humanitarians, 'moved to action by their identification with the suffering of distant others.' 44 As scholars have noted, the history of humanitarianism has included both an 'emergency branch' focused on keeping people alive in times of crisis (such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders) as well as organizations that developed broader poverty eradication and development programs aimed at addressing the root causes of suffering, such as Save the Children and Care International. 45 What unites these different initiatives is the embrace of an ethical imperative to act driven by an emotional response, drawing on narratives of sympathy and empathy over ideological or political rationales.…”

“…Female volunteers also did much of the unpaid work of these movements, knitting blankets for orphaned children, putting together supply packages for refugees, and leading fundraising activities. 49 Many of these women found their entry into the field through a narrative of maternal responsibility, portraying themselves as the natural caretakers of victimized women and children, and appealing to feminized emotions of sympathy and maternal instinct. They also frequently concentrated their work in the fields of maternal and child health and welfare: opening maternity clinics, advocating for child welfare, facilitating child rehabilitation and adoption, distributing milk, and providing for poor mothers.…”

“…63 As scholars of twentieth century maternalist movements have noted, if this language of family health and well-being could draw attention to women's challenges, it could also reinforce conservative ideas of the family by naturalizing the nuclear family model and women's primary role as reproducer. 64 Indeed, Sandra Whitworth argues that the IPPF's promotion of a depoliticized, heterosexual, two child nuclear family in its early years drew the focus of the movement away from the more disruptive language of the early birth control movement. 65 While this is certainly evident in much of the coverage of ATW, a number of articles discussing sex and marriage did take a more liberal stance.…”