True to Her Nature : Changing Advice to American Women

Have women always been viewed as the most fit parents to rear children? Have they always been considered the sex more naturally inclined to the domestic sphere? And what's up with Martha Stewart?In this clear, concise, and highly readable account, author Maxine L. Margolis analyzes advice manuals, articles from ladies' magazines, and the dicta of social scientists in an effort to reconstruct and explain changing ideas about motherhood, fatherhood, and gender roles within and beyond the home. More specifically, she seeks to answer how and why advice to mothers and families has changed over time. The analysis reaches backward to the colonial period and continues into the year 2000, discussing some of the most up-to-date research, debates, and public figures. This historical perspective proves interesting even for the non-historian, since one of the author's points is that ideas about women's and men's proper roles are rarely new-they are more likely to be recycled, in keeping with prevailing socioeconomic and political realities.Readers will appreciate the author's lively examples. Here, for example, is your chance to sample the original 1946 Dr. Spock manual, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. While the baby-care guru counseled mothers to trust their instincts and common sense, he gave the following instructions on how to prepare for the baby's bath: "Before starting the bath, be sure you have everything you need close at hand. If you forget the towel, you'll have to go after it holding a dripping baby Take your wristwatch off. An apron keeps your clothes drier " Alternatively, readers may prefer the advice dispensed by the widely influential early 20-century psychologist John B. Watson. Concerned that exaggerated maternal coddling would cause children to develop "crippled personalities," he suggested that mothers who could not resist showing some love to their children should "kiss them once on the forehead at bedtime, but shake hands with them in the morning." Finally, the helpful hints provided by a syndicated columnist from the 1960s would make Martha Stewart proud: the column "Hints from Heloise" told readers how to make artificial flowers "bloom again" with a bit of nail polish and how to restuff old throw pillows with lint from the clothes dryer.Ultimately, besides making for a good read, Margolis' book provides an invaluable framework for understanding contemporary debates about women's work, day care, and the role of fathers. It is a book for anyone interested in these debates, for those grappling to balance work and home in their personal lives, and of course, for anyone who has ever tuned in to Martha Stewart Living.