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Dissertation Information for Kathleen Ann Cannon

NAME:
- Kathleen Ann Cannon

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History

SCHOOL:
- University of California, Los Angeles (USA) (1997)

ADVISORS:
- Valerie Matsumoto
- Bruce Schulman

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Ruth Milkman
- Eric H. Monkkonen

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: Reconverting women: Social feminism and United States public policy, 1942--1962

Abstract: This dissertation charts the dramatic transformation in feminist ideology from World War II to the rise of the "second wave" in the 1960's. During this time egalitarian feminism supplanted social feminism as the major current of women's rights reform. Social feminism was driven by the concept of sexual differences and found its political power in separate institutions that initiated social policies concerning women and children. These gendered institutions were disbanded or abandoned following the war. The collapse of social feminism and the realignment with egalitarian goals reduced emphasis on maternalist policies and focused women's rights efforts on legislation promising sex equity.

Historically, the Women's Bureau and the Children's Bureau were dominated by social feminists that were linked to women's voluntary organizations, effectively generating domestic policy through "separate spheres" of political power within the state itself. This research examines the pro-woman, pro-maternalist policy objectives of the network of female-dominated agencies and women's voluntary organizations during and after World War II, particularly federal bureaus and war-time agencies, the Women's Trade Union League, and the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee.

During reconversion, the bifurcated state collapsed when the goals of liberal social reformers shifted. Entitlement programs for male veterans gained in popularity and political precedence while concerns for industry and business accommodation to the needs of working mothers declined. Sex equity became a more compelling concern for the emerging mainstream women's movement. This dissertation elucidates the historical tension between sexual equality and sexual difference within feminist discourse and policy concerns, revealing a movement that at its very foundation is a dialectical one.

MPACT Scores for Kathleen Ann Cannon

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A+C = 0
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TA = 0
calculated 2008-10-14 13:52:52

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Students under Kathleen Ann Cannon

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None