Making Do
Women, Family and Home in Montreal During the Great Depression
Will be published approx. on 30. October 1999
Book
Paperback/Softback
232 pages
978-0-88920-326-6 (ISBN)
Description
Life in the Great Depression - long lines of unemployed, soup kitchens, men riding the rails, public works projects - these are the graphic images of the Great Depression of the 1930s, popularized by the press and seared into our memories. But outside of a few distinctive stories gathered from the oral and anecdotal writings on strategies used to survive, we know next to nothing about the daily life of the working class during those long and hungry years.
How did the families survive when the principal breadwinner was unemployed? How did they feed, shelter and clothe themselves when relief payments covered barely half of their essential needs? To answer these questions Denyse Baillargeon looks at the contribution of the housewives. By interviewing Montreal francophone women who were already married at the beginning of the 1930s, and by examining their principal responsibilities, she uncovers the alternative strategies these housewives used to counter poverty. Their recollections made it possible to shed light not only on the impact of the economic crisis on their household duties during the Depression but also on their lives from childhood to World War II, and on the living conditions of the working class from which most of them came. This material is all the more valuable because it proceeds from a generation of women that will soon disappear and who have left very little in the way of written evidence behind.
This study, which draws us into the intricate lives of individuals, reveals a previously unexplored dimension of the Depression and shows the importance of considering the domestic sphere for understanding the complete history of the working class.
How did the families survive when the principal breadwinner was unemployed? How did they feed, shelter and clothe themselves when relief payments covered barely half of their essential needs? To answer these questions Denyse Baillargeon looks at the contribution of the housewives. By interviewing Montreal francophone women who were already married at the beginning of the 1930s, and by examining their principal responsibilities, she uncovers the alternative strategies these housewives used to counter poverty. Their recollections made it possible to shed light not only on the impact of the economic crisis on their household duties during the Depression but also on their lives from childhood to World War II, and on the living conditions of the working class from which most of them came. This material is all the more valuable because it proceeds from a generation of women that will soon disappear and who have left very little in the way of written evidence behind.
This study, which draws us into the intricate lives of individuals, reveals a previously unexplored dimension of the Depression and shows the importance of considering the domestic sphere for understanding the complete history of the working class.
Reviews / Votes
``Baillargeon's well-conceived study is welcome for its fresh perspective and contribution to a growing genre of women's history focusing on women's experience of daily life in an era of privation....A solid contribution to women's history generally and to Canadian women's history in particular.'' -- M.J. Moore, Choice ``The translation of this book, which was well received when it was published in French in 1991, will be welcomed by anglophone readers interested not only in the history of working-class women but also in the history of the popular and political cultures of 20th-century Canada.'' -- Dominique Marshall, Canadian Book Review AnnualMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
310 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-88920-326-6 (9780889203266)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Denyse Baillargeon is a professor in the History Department at the Universite de Montreal.
Content
Making Do: Women, Family, ahd Home in Montreal during the Great Depression by Denyse Baillargeon
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Domestic Labour and Economic Crisis
Homework Is Also Work
The Evolution of Domestic Labour before the Depression
Oral Sources
Chapter 2: From Birth to Marriage
Birth Families
Place of Birth and Residence
Father's Occupation and Standard of Living
Number of Children and Place in Family
School
Working Experience
Domestic, Factory Hand or Salesgirl?
Learning Domestic Work
Chapter 3: Beyond Romance: Courtship and Marriage
Courtship
Finding a ""Good Husband""
The Wedding Day
Setting Up Housekeeping
The Trousseau
Savings and Personal Property
The First Home
Chapter 4: Motherhood
Sexuality and Contraception
Motherhood
Expecting
Preparing for the Birth
Giving Birth
The Confinement
The Care and Discipline of Children
Infertility and Mothering
Chapter 5: Working for Pay and Managing the Household Finanace
A Living Wage
Income to Balance the Budget
Odd Jobs
Working in Your ""Spare Time""
Managing the Budget and Women's Economic Power
Making Ends Meet
Chapter 6: Housework
Women's Space and Workplace
The Neighbourhood
Housing
Implements of Work
Organizing Household Tasks
The Cycle of Household Chores
Cutting Back on Necessities
Chapter 7: State, Family, Neighbours, and Credit
Government Assistance
Unemployment and Husband-Wife Relations
The Family
The Neighbours
Debt
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix A: Interview Guide
Appendix B: Thumbnail Biographies of the Women Interviewed
Appendix C: Scale of Winter and Summer Rations Approved by the City of Montreal (c. 1935)
Appendix D: Furnishing Bought by an Informant upon Her Marriage in 1932
Appendix E: Floor Plans of Working-Class Flats
Appendix F: Percentage of Montreal Households Owning Various Equipment 1931-1958
Appendix G: Househould Appliances and Other Articles Used by Housewives
Notes
Bibliography
Index
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Domestic Labour and Economic Crisis
Homework Is Also Work
The Evolution of Domestic Labour before the Depression
Oral Sources
Chapter 2: From Birth to Marriage
Birth Families
Place of Birth and Residence
Father's Occupation and Standard of Living
Number of Children and Place in Family
School
Working Experience
Domestic, Factory Hand or Salesgirl?
Learning Domestic Work
Chapter 3: Beyond Romance: Courtship and Marriage
Courtship
Finding a ""Good Husband""
The Wedding Day
Setting Up Housekeeping
The Trousseau
Savings and Personal Property
The First Home
Chapter 4: Motherhood
Sexuality and Contraception
Motherhood
Expecting
Preparing for the Birth
Giving Birth
The Confinement
The Care and Discipline of Children
Infertility and Mothering
Chapter 5: Working for Pay and Managing the Household Finanace
A Living Wage
Income to Balance the Budget
Odd Jobs
Working in Your ""Spare Time""
Managing the Budget and Women's Economic Power
Making Ends Meet
Chapter 6: Housework
Women's Space and Workplace
The Neighbourhood
Housing
Implements of Work
Organizing Household Tasks
The Cycle of Household Chores
Cutting Back on Necessities
Chapter 7: State, Family, Neighbours, and Credit
Government Assistance
Unemployment and Husband-Wife Relations
The Family
The Neighbours
Debt
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix A: Interview Guide
Appendix B: Thumbnail Biographies of the Women Interviewed
Appendix C: Scale of Winter and Summer Rations Approved by the City of Montreal (c. 1935)
Appendix D: Furnishing Bought by an Informant upon Her Marriage in 1932
Appendix E: Floor Plans of Working-Class Flats
Appendix F: Percentage of Montreal Households Owning Various Equipment 1931-1958
Appendix G: Househould Appliances and Other Articles Used by Housewives
Notes
Bibliography
Index