Difference between revisions of "325--2011--Week 8 Questions/Comments"

I found the evolution of a woman’s responsibilities within her own home (both outside and inside the home), from the 19th to the 20th century very interesting. I had no prior knowledge of how blue-collar farm-working women evolved into housewives whom were arrested to duties pertaining only to the kitchen. The image of the dainty housewife of the 1950’s whose primary concerns only include cooking dinner for her husband before he comes home from work and tending to household matters was surely the final result of this type of farm-to-kitchen evolution. After reading the article, it seemed ironic that in the twentieth century, a century in which women fought for and earned the right to vote, they were actually being somewhat oppressed in a very subversive way. It seems to me that women were actually more independent in the 19th century, as many of their responsibilities relating to the maintenance of a farm were of vital importance. I’m not trying to say that cooking dinner and taking care of the kitchen is unimportant, but in the 19th century women were actually responsible for a large amount of production in the home. If women failed to produce cheese, then the family would not have cheese. However, as the agriculture business became swept by the Industrial Revolution and much of the business became dominated by machinery, capital, mechanization, and most importantly, men, women were no longer expected to serve as an important role on the farm. Gradually, homes relied entirely on consuming products from the nearest store, as production from the home decreased severely. While there has always been a sexual division of labor in the United States, I found it extremely interesting to see how the 20th century forced women to surrender their more physical and masculine responsibilities on the farm, including the production of the family’s food. Women were instead confined to a kitchen and kept inside the home depending on labor-saving devices to get chores and tasks done. ~Kevin Gottschalk

I found the evolution of a woman’s responsibilities within her own home (both outside and inside the home), from the 19th to the 20th century very interesting. I had no prior knowledge of how blue-collar farm-working women evolved into housewives whom were arrested to duties pertaining only to the kitchen. The image of the dainty housewife of the 1950’s whose primary concerns only include cooking dinner for her husband before he comes home from work and tending to household matters was surely the final result of this type of farm-to-kitchen evolution. After reading the article, it seemed ironic that in the twentieth century, a century in which women fought for and earned the right to vote, they were actually being somewhat oppressed in a very subversive way. It seems to me that women were actually more independent in the 19th century, as many of their responsibilities relating to the maintenance of a farm were of vital importance. I’m not trying to say that cooking dinner and taking care of the kitchen is unimportant, but in the 19th century women were actually responsible for a large amount of production in the home. If women failed to produce cheese, then the family would not have cheese. However, as the agriculture business became swept by the Industrial Revolution and much of the business became dominated by machinery, capital, mechanization, and most importantly, men, women were no longer expected to serve as an important role on the farm. Gradually, homes relied entirely on consuming products from the nearest store, as production from the home decreased severely. While there has always been a sexual division of labor in the United States, I found it extremely interesting to see how the 20th century forced women to surrender their more physical and masculine responsibilities on the farm, including the production of the family’s food. Women were instead confined to a kitchen and kept inside the home depending on labor-saving devices to get chores and tasks done. ~Kevin Gottschalk

== Venus Green ==

== Venus Green ==