In this family, he writes, “women’s activities were increasingly confined to the care of children, the nurturing of husband, and the physical maintenance of the home.” As for the husband, his activities were outside the home in the world of work. For the rest, Degler’s book simply does not substantiate his conclusions.ĭegler begins with the emergence of the “modern family” at the end of the 18th century. Only the last chapter, entitled “Woman’s Dilemma” (and which could more accurately have been called “Contemporary Woman’s Dilemma”), actually portrays women and the family in conflict. Degler would have us believe that this conflict is the central fact about women and the family in America, but seventeen out of eighteen chapters of this book tell quite a different story-a story of how women and the family have long been in harmony. The thesis of this book, as indicated by its title and spelled out in the preface, is that the equality of women and the institution of the family have been at odds with each other ever since the Revolution. At Odds: Women and the Family in America from the Revolution to the Present.
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