History of Gendered/Racial Work in the US

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History of Gendered/Racial Work in the US
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Agricultural Societies and Sexual Division of
Labor

• Labor for both sexes was Equally Valued
• European American Women
• Labor is entertwined.
• Men were responsible for growing and grinding
  wheat. Women were responsible for turning wheat
  into food. Men were responsible for chopping
  wood, women responsible for turning it into fuel.
  Men grew food for trade. Women grew food for
  immediate consumption.
• African American Women
• Slave owners tried to reduce the sexual DOL so
  that slaves felt de-humanized. Slaves tried to
  recreate sexual DOL in the home when possible.

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Agricultural Economies continued

• Some Europeans Americans were not farmers but
  guild workers.
• Wives worked alongside husbands, but were
  excluded from guilds (organized craft workers).

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Pre-Industrialization and Sexual DOL

• New technology ushered in value of
• Efficiency and High Productivity
• Women were the first affected by this because
• Cottage industry, piecework
• First factories employed women and children.

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Industrialization and the Rise of Cult of True
Womanhood

• Domestic Code
• Pious bring men back from their errant way
• Pure not want sex, even after marriage.
• Submissive Do not become an intellectual.
  Rather, allow men to control you. Allow them to
  protect you.
• Domestic Clean, cook, care.
• Be responsible for mens problematic behavior
• Read, 1950s How to Be a Good Wife.
• What do magazines/books say today?

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Domestic Code and Gender/Race

• Domestic Code Created
• Doctrine of Separate Spheres Womens proper
  place in the home. Men is to work. Keep the two
  separate.
• In 1840, women and children made up 40 of
  industrial workforce
• By 1870, 75 industrial workers were men (working
  women were predominantly single pg 20).
• Created notion that men were strong and could
  handle stress of the world.
• Also created Job Sex Segregation in the world of
  paid work
• Protective Legislation

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Domestic Code and Gender/Race

• We often either study race or gender. Glenn
  argues this is problematic. Why?
• Domestic Code helped Perpetuate Racism
• Women of Color were not allowed to be true
  women regardless of class
• Women of Color were kept from most industrial
  work. They were forced into dirty, heavy work
• Women of Color were made to do the informal
  economic work that true women were not supposed
  to do.

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Domestic Code and Gender/Race

• The Domestic Code allowed
• White men to benefit because.
• White women to benefit because.
• Divisions among race/ethnicities because.
• Harm to Families of Color because..

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Market Work Today

• Look at Chart on page 28-29.
• Non paid work is still devalued in the US and
  internationally and women are more likely in
  informal sector and are also more responsible for
  non paid work.

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