The American Historical Review · 1997 · 109 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesHistoryPolitical ScienceGender HistoryPolitical HistorySocial HistoryHistory Of WelfarePolitical Gender HistorySocial ReformWelfare ReformWomen's Political HistoryWomen's Social HistoryHistory Of MotherhoodRepublican GovernmentSocial History Of WomenSocial Policy HistorySocial Reform MovementsSocial Welfare ReformWelfare Policy HistoryWelfare State History
Traditional histories of the French Third Republic often overlook the extent to which concerns about the place of women and the health of the family influenced the course of government policy, particularly the direction of welfare reform. Combining the approaches of social and political history, this book offers a new perspective on women's lives in the Third Republic by looking at the attitudes, actions, and policies of the men who held political power. Addressing themes in the newly invigorated field of welfare-state history, contributors to this volume offer evidence that social reform in France began far earlier than is usually supposed and was a response by republican politicians and social activists to a declining population growth rate. As this demographic crisis inspired efforts to improve maternal and child health and increase the birth rate, motherhood was redefined as a public mission deserving of public support.