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History

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University Of Winchester (UoW)

A 2:1 essay written on 'The Effect Changing Conceptions of Masculinity and Femininity had on Family Life between '. Looks at the changing roles and society influences on Masculinity and Femininity had on family life throughout Europe and America between .

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Uploaded on July 18, 2022
Number of pages 2
Written in 2018/2019
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A

masculinity
femininity
family life
1763 1914
marriage
employment
motherhood
fatherhood
americas
europe
society
arrom
divorce
19th century
history

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Report on the effect changing conceptions of masculinity and femininity had on family
life.

Throughout the period 1763-1914 the changing roles and perspectives of both men
and women had an effect on family life. This report will focus and analyze key issues
such as marriage, employment, motherhood and fatherhood in order to see how much
of an effect these changing conceptions had on family life.

Marriage for both the Americas and the Europeans took a slight change in attitude
towards the beginning of the 19 century. In Europe ‘women wanted marriage to be an
th

equal partnership and demanded that in a partner’ and this attitude soon caught on in
Mexico as Arrom explains, ‘reflecting the trend toward the modern conceptions of
family life throughout the western world, Mexicans began to speak of the ideal
companionship of husbands and wives, citing love and happiness as the principle
goals of matrimony’. Subsequently, historians agree that women had a little more
influence over the way a marriage was run, thus women had more influence than
before over family life. More often, though, marriage was still viewed as ‘the
economic and social building block for the middle class; it was the basis of a new
family unit’. Therefore, the perception and practicality of marrying into wealth and
status remained strong as ‘men assumed economic and jural responsibility for their
wives and the expected brood of children. With marriage, women assumed their full
adult status’, however the evidence shows that marriage become more of a
harmonious companionship, marrying for attraction and support for both men and
women and not just status. Tosh asserts ‘the man no longer gives his spare hours to
boisterous conviviality with male associates; the two sexes now pass their lives
together; the women of a man’s family are his habitual society; the wife is his chief
associate, his most confidential friend and often his most trusted adviser’.

Arrom, also identifies that ‘divorce gained acceptance, some women began to seek it
more readily when marriage had soured’ and so the new accessibility of a women
being allowed to divorce their husbands and still be accepted in society changed
marital approaches for both men and women as women could now leave their family
or take their children with them if they wished. In Mexico ‘wives filed most of the
suits in the 1 half of the 19 century’ and this pattern followed into Europe, especially
st th

Prussia were ‘more than 5000 judgements a year by the 1900’s’ were being filed.
Furthermore, as Abrams asserts ‘divorce provided a clean break, the possibility of
custody and financial support for any children, and it permitted a woman to remarry’.
Thus, as divorce became more acceptable and accessible, men and more particularly
women, had more influence over their marriage and their family.

For men, the role of the father shifted in the 1850’s, beforehand there were accounts
of fathers being mainly ‘relaxed and approachable’. However, Tosh points out that
after the 1850’s there was ‘a shift towards more formality and discipline’ and the
reason for this is because ‘in a domestic regime of separate spheres, the mother stood
for love and the father represented discipline’. Davidoff and Hall add further weight
by concluding ‘paternal duties also included the enforcing of discipline and
instruction’, although they make it clear that fatherhood was not ‘always exercised
harshly’ and actually it was a ‘responsibility and an enjoyment, both part of a moral
destiny’. On the other hand, the views on mothers changed significantly as society put
more focus on motherhood. ‘Before 1800 motherhood was seen as natural but now it

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