Womanhood in America: From colonial times to the present

by Mary P. Ryan

an interpretation of 20th century popular culture and values regarding women.

Genres: History

284 pages, Loose Leaf

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Amy]

This is a good book to read if you already have a solid grasp of U.S. History and you want to expand your knowledge and learn about women’s history and gender history. It is not a good choice for complete beginners. For example, it assumes you know who Anne Hutchinson and Mary Rowlandson are without brief biographic explanations when their names are dropped (Anne Hutchinson was explained several dozen pages later).

There is a lot of well-written, fascinating information in this book on standards —and deviations— of womanhood and femininity (or lack thereof) in different periods of U.S. history. Often what society considered appropriate behavior for a woman or a lady shifted dramatically within a generation or two, and it was always more complicated than we might assume.