About the book
Shedding new light on contemporary campaigns to encourage marriage among welfare recipients and to prosecute “deadbeat dads,” Wives without Husbands traces the efforts of Progressive reformers to make “runaway husbands” support their families. Anna R. Igra investigates the interrelated histories of marriage and welfare policy in the early 1900s, revealing how reformers sought to make marriage the solution to women’s and children’s poverty.
Igra taps a rich trove of case files from the National Desertion Bureau, a Jewish husband-location agency, and follows hundreds of deserted women through the welfare and legal systems of early twentieth-century New York City. She integrates a broad range of topics, including Americanization as a gendered process, breadwinning as a measure of manhood, the relationship between consumer culture and social policy formation, the class dimensions of family law, and the Jewish community as a source of welfare policy innovation. Igra analyzes the history of antidesertion reform from its emergence in social policy debates, through the establishment of domestic relations courts, to Depression relief programs. She shows that early twentieth-century reformers, by attempting to make instrumental use of poor people’s intimate relations, anticipated welfare policies in our own time that promote marriage as an answer to poverty.
Editions of Wives without Husbands
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807830703
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807857793
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807876589
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890867827
Read an Excerpt
Shedding new light on contemporary campaigns to encourage marriage among welfare recipients and to prosecute “deadbeat dads,” Wives without Husbands traces the efforts of Progressive reformers to make “runaway husbands” support their families. Anna R. Igra investigates the interrelated histories of marriage and welfare policy in the early 1900s, revealing how reformers sought to make marriage the solution to women’s and children’s poverty.
Igra taps a rich trove of case files from the National Desertion Bureau, a Jewish husband-location agency, and follows hundreds of deserted women through the welfare and legal systems of early twentieth-century New York City. She integrates a broad range of topics, including Americanization as a gendered process, breadwinning as a measure of manhood, the relationship between consumer culture and social policy formation, the class dimensions of family law, and the Jewish community as a source of welfare policy innovation. Igra analyzes the history of antidesertion reform from its emergence in social policy debates, through the establishment of domestic relations courts, to Depression relief programs. She shows that early twentieth-century reformers, by attempting to make instrumental use of poor people’s intimate relations, anticipated welfare policies in our own time that promote marriage as an answer to poverty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wives without Husbands about?
Shedding new light on contemporary campaigns to encourage marriage among welfare recipients and to prosecute “deadbeat dads,” Wives without Husbands traces the efforts of Progressive reformers to make “runaway husbands” support their families. Anna R. Igra investigates the interrelated histories of marriage and welfare policy in the early 1900s, revealing how reformers sought to make marriage the solution to women’s and children’s poverty.
Igra taps a rich trove of case files from the National Desertion Bureau, a Jewish husband-location agency, and follows hundreds of deserted women through the welfare and legal systems of early twentieth-century New York City. She integrates a broad range of topics, including Americanization as a gendered process, breadwinning as a measure of manhood, the relationship between consumer culture and social policy formation, the class dimensions of family law, and the Jewish community as a source of welfare policy innovation. Igra analyzes the history of antidesertion reform from its emergence in social policy debates, through the establishment of domestic relations courts, to Depression relief programs. She shows that early twentieth-century reformers, by attempting to make instrumental use of poor people’s intimate relations, anticipated welfare policies in our own time that promote marriage as an answer to poverty.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Wives without Husbands?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Gender studies, gender groups > Gender studies: women and girls
Where can I read a sample of Wives without Husbands?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807830703
How long is Wives without Husbands and how many pages does it have?
Wives without Husbands has 184 page(s)
Is Wives without Husbands part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Gender and American Culture
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Wives without Husbands?
Anna R. Igra
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Wives without Husbands is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807830703) and paperback(ISBN 9780807857793) and ebook(ISBN 9780807876589) and pdf(ISBN 9798890867827)
Where can I buy Wives without Husbands online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Wives without Husbands from below
Where can I buy Wives without Husbands?