Summary Of Cherlin's Emergence Of The Working-Class Family

In the second chapter of his book, Cherlin details the “Emergence of the Working-Class Family” in the 1800s. Cherlin explains how white mothers in cities with textile mills would only work for short periods of time when the family was running low on income, but would otherwise just work at home or take in boarders for wages. However, white mothers in cities that were “dominated by heavy industry,” hardly ever worked outside of the home. Black women at this time would often have jobs, most of the time working for white families (25).
Cherlin speaks of an anthropologist named David Gilmore that believes men must prove their “manhood” in three different ways (31). According to Gilmore, a man must “Demonstrate his masculinity” by impregnating …show more content…
Working class women were also supposed to take care of their husbands and children, but they were also expected to work, unlike most middle class women. During this time, white women, on average would have four children, while black women would have seven, making birth rates almost too high for working class women to be able to support them all. Women made most of their money by providing food and clothing for their boarders. Despite the fact that all women were expected to act a certain way in order to provide for their families, Cherlin believes that unlike men, women did not have to pass a test to prove their femininity as men did with their masculinity. Cherlin believes that although this may be unfair, women were always assumed to be able to take care of their families, while men faced more hardships in at work, as there was a risk of being laid off, getting injured, or being out of a job during union strikes. Cherlin then goes on to discuss why masculinity is so fragile, and suggests that it is because girls can continue to identify with their mothers as they grow up, while boys must separate themselves from their fathers in order to become men. Cherlin believes this may be a reason for the “masculinity test,” which, in order to pass, a man must prove their manhood in the three ways mentioned …show more content…
The Great Depression, Cherlin says, “ended a period of substantial wage growth for American workers” (61). Though many people worked towards earning a family wage, it was very rarely achieved, and when it was it was only done so by the most skilled members of the union. Cherlin discusses the fragile nature of masculinity when discussing the concept of a livable wage, and how it was about “the right to be a man” (62). One of the huge changes in gaining the “livable wage,” was the evolution of Henry Ford’s company. One of Ford’s main goals was to create a livable wage for everybody, which he attempted to do by paying his worked five dollars a day, more than other companies in the industry. Also, Ford’s company required that men “provide generously in proportion to his means for his wife and children,” and if they failed to do so, the company would take the man’s wages and give them directly to his wife