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The forest and the trees : Industrialization, demographic change, and the ongoing gender revolution in Sweden and the United States, 1870-2010

Stanfors, Maria LU and Goldscheider, Frances (2017) In Demographic Research 36(6). p.173-226
Abstract
Background: The separate spheres, in which men dominate the public sphere of politics, arts, media, and wage work and women dominate the private sphere of unpaid production and caring, is a powerful configuration in much social theory (including Parsons, Becker, and Goode), which posited that with industrialization, family structures and activities would converge towards the nuclear family with strict gender roles.

Objective: This paper examines the major trends unraveling the gender division of family support and care that reached its peak in the mid-20th century, often called the ‘worker-carer’ or the ‘separate spheres’ model, by comparing the experiences of Sweden and the United States.

Methods: We... (More)
Background: The separate spheres, in which men dominate the public sphere of politics, arts, media, and wage work and women dominate the private sphere of unpaid production and caring, is a powerful configuration in much social theory (including Parsons, Becker, and Goode), which posited that with industrialization, family structures and activities would converge towards the nuclear family with strict gender roles.

Objective: This paper examines the major trends unraveling the gender division of family support and care that reached its peak in the mid-20th century, often called the ‘worker-carer’ or the ‘separate spheres’ model, by comparing the experiences of Sweden and the United States.

Methods: We use data that includes time series of macro-level demographic and economic indicators, together with cross-sectional data from censuses and time use surveys.

Results: The unraveling of the separate spheres began with the increase in the labor force participation of married women and continues with the increase in men’s involvement with their homes and children, but its foundations were laid in the 19th century, with industrialization. We show that despite short-term stalls, slowdowns, and even reverses, as well as huge differences in policy contexts, the overall picture of increasing gender sharing in family support and care is strongly taking shape in both countries.

Contribution: By doing a comparative, in-depth analysis, it becomes clear that the extreme role specialization within the couple that divided caring from ‘work,’ though theoretically important, applied only for a limited period in Northern Europe and the United States, however important it might be in other regions.
(Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
ackground: The separate spheres, in which men dominate the public sphere of politics, arts, media, and wage work and women dominate the private sphere of unpaid production and caring, is a powerful configuration in much social theory (including Parsons, Becker, and Goode), which posited that with industrialization, family structures and activities would converge towards the nuclear family with strict gender roles.
Objective: This paper examines the major trends unraveling the gender division of family support and care that reached its peak in the mid-20th century, often called the ‘worker-carer’ or the ‘separate spheres’ model, by comparing the experiences of Sweden and the United States.
Methods: We use data that includes time... (More)
ackground: The separate spheres, in which men dominate the public sphere of politics, arts, media, and wage work and women dominate the private sphere of unpaid production and caring, is a powerful configuration in much social theory (including Parsons, Becker, and Goode), which posited that with industrialization, family structures and activities would converge towards the nuclear family with strict gender roles.
Objective: This paper examines the major trends unraveling the gender division of family support and care that reached its peak in the mid-20th century, often called the ‘worker-carer’ or the ‘separate spheres’ model, by comparing the experiences of Sweden and the United States.
Methods: We use data that includes time series of macro-level demographic and economic indicators, together with cross-sectional data from censuses and time use surveys.
Results: The unraveling of the separate spheres began with the increase in the labor force participation of married women and continues with the increase in men’s involvement with their homes and children, but its foundations were laid in the 19th century, with industrialization. We show that despite short-term stalls, slowdowns, and even reverses, as well as huge differences in policy contexts, the overall picture of increasing gender sharing in family support and care is strongly taking shape in both countries.
Contribution: By doing a comparative, in-depth analysis, it becomes clear that the extreme role specialization within the couple that divided caring from ‘work,’ though theoretically important, applied only for a limited period in Northern Europe and the United States, however important it might be in other regions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
demographic transitions, family, gender, industrialization, Sweden, United States
in
Demographic Research
volume
36
issue
6
pages
54 pages
publisher
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
external identifiers
  • scopus:85012900331
ISSN
1435-9871
DOI
10.4054/DemRes.2017.36.6
project
It's about time! Gender, parenthood and changing time use patterns, 1990-2010
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a9ffc121-92fd-46f8-b024-613be1ce841d
date added to LUP
2017-01-12 15:02:12
date last changed
2022-08-16 22:06:24
@article{a9ffc121-92fd-46f8-b024-613be1ce841d,
  abstract     = {{<b>Background:</b> The separate spheres, in which men dominate the public sphere of politics, arts, media, and wage work and women dominate the private sphere of unpaid production and caring, is a powerful configuration in much social theory (including Parsons, Becker, and Goode), which posited that with industrialization, family structures and activities would converge towards the nuclear family with strict gender roles.<br/><br/><b>Objective: </b>This paper examines the major trends unraveling the gender division of family support and care that reached its peak in the mid-20th century, often called the ‘worker-carer’ or the ‘separate spheres’ model, by comparing the experiences of Sweden and the United States.<br/><br/><b>Methods:</b> We use data that includes time series of macro-level demographic and economic indicators, together with cross-sectional data from censuses and time use surveys.<br/><br/><b>Results:</b> The unraveling of the separate spheres began with the increase in the labor force participation of married women and continues with the increase in men’s involvement with their homes and children, but its foundations were laid in the 19th century, with industrialization. We show that despite short-term stalls, slowdowns, and even reverses, as well as huge differences in policy contexts, the overall picture of increasing gender sharing in family support and care is strongly taking shape in both countries.<br/><br/><b>Contribution: </b>By doing a comparative, in-depth analysis, it becomes clear that the extreme role specialization within the couple that divided caring from ‘work,’ though theoretically important, applied only for a limited period in Northern Europe and the United States, however important it might be in other regions.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Stanfors, Maria and Goldscheider, Frances}},
  issn         = {{1435-9871}},
  keywords     = {{demographic transitions; family; gender; industrialization; Sweden; United States}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{173--226}},
  publisher    = {{Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research}},
  series       = {{Demographic Research}},
  title        = {{The forest and the trees : Industrialization, demographic change, and the ongoing gender revolution in Sweden and the United States, 1870-2010}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/19773536/36_6.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.4054/DemRes.2017.36.6}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}