Maternalism Reconsidered: Motherhood, Welfare and Social Policy in the Twentieth Century

Published by Berghahn Books 2012

Maternalism Reconsidered

Motherhood, Welfare and Social Policy in the Twentieth Century

Edited by: Marian van der Klein , Rebecca Jo Plant , Nichole Sanders and Lori R. Weintrob

Volume 20 in the series International Studies in Social History

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780857454676

Overview
Contents

About this book

Beginning in the late 19th century, competing ideas about motherhood had a profound impact on the development and implementation of social welfare policies. Calls for programmes aimed at assisting and directing mothers emanated from all quarters of the globe, advanced by states and voluntary organizations, liberals and conservatives, feminists and anti-feminists – a phenomenon that scholars have since termed ‘maternalism’. This volume reassesses maternalism by providing critical reflections on prior usages of the concept, and by expanding its meaning to encompass geographical areas, political regimes and cultural concerns that scholars have rarely addressed. From Argentina, Brazil and Mexico City to France, Italy, the Netherlands, the Soviet Ukraine, the United States and Canada, these case studies offer fresh theoretical and historical perspectives within a transnational and comparative framework. As a whole, the volume demonstrates how maternalist ideologies have been employed by state actors, reformers and poor clients, with myriad political and social ramifications.

Author / Editor information

Marian van der Klein is Senior Researcher at the Verwey-Jonker Institute. Her historical research focuses on gender, social history and welfare states, especially the impact of social policy on the socioeconomic position of women.

Rebecca Jo Plant is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego, and the author of Mom: The Transformation of Motherhood in Modern America (2010).

Nichole Sanders is Associate Professor of History at Lynchburg College in Virginia. She recently published Gender and Welfare in Mexico: The Consolidation of a Postrevolutionary State (2011).

Lori R. Weintrob is Professor of History at Wagner College in New York City. Her research focuses on immigration, gender and public policy in France and the United States.

Marian van der Klein is Senior Researcher at the Verwey-Jonker Institute. Her historical research focuses on gender, social history and welfare states, especially the impact of social policy on the socioeconomic position of women.

Reviews

“A welcome addition to the literature on gender and social policy, this anthology addresses critical issues regarding women and the welfare state. Recognizing that maternalism is more diverse and nuanced than the simplification initially posed as a critique of the paternalist welfare state, the editors explore ways in which women's circumstances varied globally during the 20th century through chapters on the US, France, Fascist Italy, the Netherlands, Soviet-era Ukraine, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico…Highly Recommended.” · Choice

“One of the most striking features of this excellent collection of essays is thedurability of maternalism – as an ideology, a political strategy and as a practice of social policy and legislation. This anthology revisits and also updates the rich scholarship on the influence of maternalism on welfare and social policy, which was produced mainly during the early 1990s.” · Gender & History

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
1 Introduction: A New Generation of Scholars on Maternalism Rebecca Jo Plant and Marian van der Klein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2 Maternalism and Beyond Sonya Michel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	22
3 The State, the Women’s Movement and Maternity Insurance, 1900–1930: A Dutch Maternalism? Marian van der Klein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	38
4 Mobilizing Mothers in the Nation’s Service: Civic Culture in France’s Familial Welfare State, 1890–1914 Lori R. Weintrob Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	60
5 Speaking on Behalf of Others: Dutch Social Workers and the Problem of Maternalist Condescension Berteke Waaldijk Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	82
6 ‘Respectable Citizens of Canada’: Gender, Maternalism and the Welfare State in the Great Depression Lara Campbell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
7 The Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimages: Patriotic Maternalists and Their Critics in Interwar America Rebecca Jo Plant Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	121
8 Protecting Mothers in Order to Protect Children: Maternalism and the 1935 Pan-American Child Congress Nichole Sanders Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	148
9 Maternal and Child Welfare, State Policy and Women’s Philanthropic Activities in Brazil, 1930–45 Maria Lúcia Mott Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	168
10 Maternalism in a Paternalist State: The National Organization for the Protection of Motherhood and Infancy in Fascist Italy Elisabetta Vezzosi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	190
11 Maternalism, Soviet-Style: The Working ‘Mothers with Many Children’ in Post-war Western Ukraine Yoshie Mitsuyoshi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
12 The Origins and Transformations of the Infant-Maternity Health and Nutritional Programmes in Argentina Alma Idiart Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
13 Afterword: Maternalism Today Rebecca Jo Plant Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	244
Select Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Notes on Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 282
Keywords: History: 20th Century to Present; Gender Studies and Sexuality; Sociology

eBook

Published: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 9780857454676