History 326 Readings Wiki

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====== Suburban Men and Masculine Domesticity ======

In the late nineteenth century, there were two ideals of masculinity. One was a rugged adventurer who had deep disdain for anything that could be considered "feminine." The other was what Margaret Marsh refers to as "masculine domesticity" -- a man who was middle-class, probably suburban, and who actually spent time with his wife and children. Marsh establishes three main criteria for the development of masculine domesticity: marriage as companionship, job security for middle-class men, and the physical space of the suburbs. (Jazper Schmidt)

This reading delves into the shift of masculinity between 1870 and 1915. The model of early masculinity frames men as a detached patriarchal breadwinner, and shifts to identifying manhood through emotional engagement as well as nurturing domestic participation. This shift is solidified through the ideas of figures like Beveridge and Macfadden who believed that the home and family should be a centralized figure in regards to practicing manhood. They also explained how nurture and love should be expressed towards children in these families by fathers. The new model of manhood views men as someone who fosters emotional bonds through active involvement, trips, and activities. Marsh explains how masculinity becoming more domestic doesn't diminish what it means to be a man, nor does it make a father any less masculine than a single, childless man. Marsh conveys that domestic involvement works to redefine masculinity and backs this statement up by explaining how family men still have aggressive outlets like sports to preserve their negative ideals of domestic masculinity. (Reiley Gibson)

Marsh introduces the suburban father as another model of masculinity who presents mostly in the middle class, and shows more familial involvement and the embrace of domesticity. After the war, women spent more time in public which meant men had to adopt more domestic roles within the family. Men’s wives contributed to this new model because they replaced other men as a primary social companion, causing them to spend more time at home. The companionship of marriage is new and emotionally guided. This relationship contributed to stable employment and salaries as well as the creation of families. Stable salaries came from the influx of corporate jobs which also offered predictable hours which allowed more time for the family and leisure. (Reiley Gibson)

The idea of masculine domesticity, although progressive, does seem to require somewhat "perfect conditions" like a good, stable marriage, a good and stable income (that allows for more leisurely time to be spent with wives and children) and the appropriate location for these "new" manly qualities to be exercised. For the purpose of the reading, middle class men living in the suburbs with their families.( Téa Aliu)

Women are spending more of their time not in the house (women's clubs and joining the workforce) that men are urged to start helping out more. The space is not equal but responsibilities for men at home are starting to pick up and they're expected to at least pick up after themselves if no one else. To paraphrase: men enter the domestic sphere as women are joining the masculine sphere through work and time spent away or outside their children. ( Tea Aliu)

Companionate marriages- marriage not being a social contract headed by the patriarchy. The idea that men should spend more time with their wives and view them as companions rather than just "the wife". Men taking time to listen to their wives needs and wants as well, if only small requests for home improvements as mentioned on page 118. (Tea Aliu)

The rise of a suburban middle class was associated with greater inter-gender socialization in leisure. For most of American history, women were confined to the home and to sewing circles, while men were out with gangs of friends or with more organized social clubs. However, as the middle class became more isolated from city centers into suburbs and as the middle class began to embrace more intimate forms of male domesticity, this began to change. By 1903, at least in Philadelphia, mono-gendered, middle-class social clubs began to decline as social clubs that allowed both male and female members (often married) increased in numbers. (Nick Thodal)

In this chapter, Margaret Marsh argues that the image of middle-class urban men in the Progressive Era should not be understood solely as that of a detached corporate professional distant from his family. On the contrary, many middle-class men belonged to a different category, united by the ideology of masculine domesticity. According to Marsh, masculine domesticity was a particular model of behavior that prioritized egalitarian marriages, leisure with family, and active participation in the lives of children. In particular, this form of domesticity led to the transformation of the father figure. In the context of mid-nineteenth-century America, fathers maintained a patriarchal status with a strong emphasis on discipline and obedience from their children. However, the culture of masculine domesticity allowed for new approaches to the father–child dynamic, focusing on friendship, elements of play, and independence. - Nikolai Kotkov

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