Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920

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Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 26 ratings · 1 review

Delinquent Daughters explores the gender, class, and racial tensions that fueled campaigns to control female sexuality in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America. Mary Odem looks at these moral reform movements from a national perspective, but she also undertakes a detailed analysis of court records to explore the local enforcement of regulatory legislation in...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published December 11th 1995 by University of North Carolina Press (first published December 1st 1995)

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Aug 20, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Delinquent Daughters is the perfect marriage of history and
Sociology. Odem holds a Doctorate in History and is an Associate Professor at Emory University in the Department of History and Women’s studies. Odem is well qualified to teach this subject. Odem explains the books objective is to make three main arguments this is explained in the books introduction. Odem’s first argument is to clarify the moral campaign to reform teenage female sexuality. Her second argument is
the state of California...more Delinquent Daughters is the perfect marriage of history and
Sociology. Odem holds a Doctorate in History and is an Associate Professor at Emory University in the Department of History and Women’s studies. Odem is well qualified to teach this subject. Odem explains the books objective is to make three main arguments this is explained in the books introduction. Odem’s first argument is to clarify the moral campaign to reform teenage female sexuality. Her second argument is
the state of California paid a hefty price for said campaign, as they could not absolutely control sexuality. The final argument, self-rule in working class families was the underlying cause for cases of teenage daughters brought to court. The book focuses on moral campaigns and enforcement of sexual policies and Progressive campaigns to control and reform female sexuality.

Odem did thorough research and read various publications from Universities, the National Archives, the Los Angles and Huntington Beach Libraries, and read publications from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Young Women’s Christian Association. The bibliography cites manuscripts, newspapers and journals, annual reports and government documents, books, articles and unpublished studies were sources for this book. Odem also refers to court records and specific cases to back her evidence and notates that many books were cited as source material in the books notes. The evidence presented is abundant and some of it irrefutable. For example, she argues there is a double standard to prove the point she proved that most men found guilty of having sex with a minor received an insignificant punishment like probation. The female was humiliated by the mandatory pelvic exam and cross-examination in court and in some cases was sent to a reformatory or sent to work, as a domestic proving there was a double standard. Odem uses sentencing statistics, court records and various publications to back her point. None of the evidence appears to be conflicting or irrelevant.

Odem makes a logical argument the book is written from the
expository perspective but occasionally turns to the persuasive perspective and at times could become redundant. The book became more interesting and persuasive when Odem presented real court cases as evidence like Mae Tanner, Pauline Taylor, Minnie Kent and many other girls. Odem to breaks up the main issues such as the “delinquent Girl” , working class families, the mothers roles in the courts proceedings, and other issues into six chapters and keeps each point clearly organized and separate from the others to help lesson any confusion on the part of the reader. Odem also makes a clear distinction of the evolution of the Progressives belief from the 1880’s that young women were seduced and corrupted by older and more sophisticated men to the belief later in the 1900’s that home and society were responsible for a girls “moral downfall”. Odem also clearly lays out how the Progressives relied on the state and legal system to control female offenders. The subject matter seems complete and not lacking except when it comes to African Americans. While Odem does shed, some light on how this issue did affect African American’s and does mention key African American Players in female sexual reform like Janie Porter Barrett. I feel African Americans and Whites should have had equal focus in this book. California has a large population of African Americans especially in Oakland and Los Angeles.

The age of consent law campaign’s significance is clearly
explained as is the moral reform movement and enforcement that came along with the campaign to raise the age of consent law. The book clearly also paints the sociological view of a young women’s place in society and how even something as a young woman wearing makeup can be seen as rebellious. Odem also explored how class and race played a role in the reform of teenage sexuality and how it came to be that the majority of cases that ended up in court were those of a working class family. Odem clearly explains the struggle between parent and child and the state and the parent. This book is very relevant to a future history course as it explains and shapes how society viewed young women for thirty-five years and gives the reader a clear impression of what it was like to be a female living in this time. This book was informative and sheds a light on a subject of History in the state of California we seldom hear of today.

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Shelves: history, history-20th-century, history-19th-century, history-sexuality, history-youth

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