At Odds: Women and the Family in America from the Revolution to the Present

At Odds examines women's changing roles and relationships to family in American society from the late 1700s through the 1970s. The book traces major shifts in marriage patterns, birth rates, domestic labor, and women's rights movements across two centuries. Carl Degler analyzes primary sources including diaries, letters, court records and demographic data to document the evolution of family structures and gender expectations. His research covers topics like birth control, divorce, property rights, and women's participation in the workforce. This social history presents evidence for a fundamental tension between women's individual aspirations and traditional family obligations. The work connects changes in private family life to broader transformations in American economics, politics, and culture.

Readers value this book as a comprehensive history of women's changing roles in American families. One reviewer on Goodreads noted it "fills gaps in understanding how women's domestic roles evolved from colonial times through the 1970s." Readers appreciate: - Clear organization by historical period - Use of primary sources and statistics - Coverage of both middle and working class families - Discussion of birth control and reproductive rights Common criticisms: - Dense academic writing style - Limited coverage of minority women's experiences - Some outdated perspectives (published 1980) Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (14 ratings) WorldCat: No ratings available Amazon: Not enough reviews for rating A history professor on Goodreads wrote: "Still relevant for understanding long-term trends in American family life, though newer research has expanded on many topics." Multiple readers mention using it successfully as a reference book for research papers.

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📚 Carl Degler was awarded the 1972 Pulitzer Prize in History for his work "Neither Black nor White," demonstrating his expertise in American social history before writing "At Odds." 🏫 The book was one of the first major academic works to examine how American women actively resisted traditional family roles, challenging the prevailing notion that women passively accepted their domestic sphere. 👶 Degler's research revealed that birth control practices were widespread among American women as early as the 1800s, despite legal restrictions and social taboos. ⚖️ The book traces how the tension between women's individual aspirations and family obligations shaped major social movements, including suffrage, temperance, and early feminism. 📊 "At Odds" was groundbreaking in its use of demographic data to show that the "traditional" American family structure was more myth than reality, with diverse family forms existing throughout U.S. history.