Stay At Home Mother Role In The Industrial Revolution

At about the time the Civil war ended the Industrial Revolution in America was beginning. It is said that with the advancement of machinery came the idea of the stay at home mother role. Prior to this, women worked alongside men in agriculture. Advancement of machines, like the cotton gin, made it possible for some women to not work in landowner’s fields but to stay at home and raise children while also tending to their own homes and gardens. In cities it was not uncommon for children to begin working between the ages of ten and twelve. With the advancements of technology, came the need for factory workers. Society looked on children as “little adults in training”. Interestingly, while the early part of the 19th century had families
Many households lost jobs and experienced poverty. More than 200,000 children were abandoned. Father’s believed their loss of employment lowered their status within the family, as mothers often were able to bring in more money. Just after the depression came WWII putting even more mothers in the workplace. Perhaps due to loss, trends in motherhood began being more affectionate in childrearing with mothers deciding it was normal to be affectionate to their children. A doctor by the name of Benjamin Spock published a book that rejected the earlier ideas of rigid childrearing. This became the “go to” book when seeking advice on how to raise a child. However, child labor laws, that had started to be discussed in the early 1900’s, were set aside as children might need to work in order to help support the family and war effort while men were at war. It was further hoped that having youth work would decrease the delinquency rate that had been on the rise since the Great Depression. During this time mothers were blamed for the number of men found to be unfit for military service. The physical and psychological problems of men were blamed on their mother’s being too protective or having an absent father. Things such as delinquency illegitimacy, truancy and run-a-ways were also blamed on mothers for being neglectful. Post-war mothers were also blamed by psychologists for schizophrenia,
Other trends that parents are cautioned to be aware of are: materialism, authoritarian parenting, bad eating habits, emphasis on external looks and being their child’s friend. These items were picked because they are believed to lead to feelings of insufficiency and self-doubt in children, thereby making them insecure and co-dependent adults. (www.rebelcircus.com/blog/the-most-dangerous-parenting-trends). However, as you continue with the article you come to realize that this is just one journalists opinion in a sea of opinions that can be found on the internet. On the internet one can also be found research from experts in various fields. Unfortunately, the advice offered is often conflicting and parents are left confused adding to their stress. Stress according to the article, “Parenting in America,” is one of the major contributing factors to many of the parenting changes occurring in society today. High workloads, low social support, negative life events and daily hassles are the factors seen as contributing parental stress which results in parents being: inconsistent, negative, inattentive, unclear with rules and administering increasingly harsh discipline. (http://www.aapd.org/assets/1/25/Long-26-02.pdf). The conference talk goes on to state that although two income families today earn 75%