Public Vows: A History Of Marriage And The Nation

Marriage is perhaps the most unique contract among all others. Not only does it serve as an emblem for a couple’s love and commitment, but it also holds strong ties to national policy and jurisdiction. Throughout American history, marriage ideals and the paradigm of consensual monogamy have been strongly enforced. By implementing certain policies and excluding other alternatives to marriage, marital laws have essentially promoted monogamous marriage as well as shaped people’s understandings of societal roles. Specifically, the role of women has evolved within the constraints of marriage.
In chapter 7 of Public Vows: a History of Marriage and the Nation, author Nancy Cott discusses the shift in marriage during the 1920s. As the Great Depression hit, American families suffered immensely. Still, the government’s “focus of public concern about unemployment was working men [who were] understood as providers for their families” (Cott 172). At this time, the government was entirely dominated by men, so protecting all men was a primary concern. Families were to adhere to strict familial roles - husbands were expected to be the breadwinners as wives to be the homemakers. However, as women became increasingly employed in the workforce in

order to make ends meet, their initial role of housewife began to undergo a serious transformation. Men were no longer the only financial contributors and “the vocation of wife-and-motherhood could now be as chosen rather than prescribed” (Cott 167).
Despite women’s newfound freedom, they were still faced with economic discrimination and struggled to be on more equal footing with men.

The federal government imposed several obstacles including removing women from public sector jobs, sanctioning New Deal programs, which provided benefits only to white men, and prohibiting two people of the same family from holding federal employment at the same time. Since women did not have the same voice as men, a lot of things they wanted to accomplish were dictated by what the government imposed. Laws deeply entrenched in people’s societal views of family and what was expected of women, especially women in more traditional roles. Men did not want women to work outside the home and feared

change.
Some would argue that the struggles that women faced during this period set the initial framework for the birth of feminism. Women established a network around Eleanor Roosevelt and advocated to have full-time careers, while still maintaining the role of wife and mother. In sum, “women’s and men’s arenas of possible accomplishment now overlapped far more [and] marriage ideals had become less hierarchical amidst the language of true love and companionate partnership” (Cott 179). By reflecting on this time in history, it is evident that the efforts made by women during the Depression era left an imprint on the role of women in today’s society.
As an author, Nancy Cott illustrates how the national government has played an integral role in shaping the institution of marriage. She offers a logical framework by focusing on the political and social meaning of marriage and how it has been influenced by the economy and gender roles. Cott highlights the initial struggle of women in the workforce, still prevalent today, as women strive to be recognized and respected in businesses while balancing their responsibilities in the home.