Overview

The role of 'gender' in shaping social policy is now one of considerable interest and debate. Current controversies over the nature and funding of the welfare state have reopened historical issues. Gender, Health and Welfare deals primarily with the century before the creation of the classic welfare state in Britain. It provides a stimulating introduction to an historical era which saw a huge expansion in welfare services, both state and voluntary, and during which women emerged as significant 'consumers' and 'providers' of various measures. The themes covered in this book include an introductory chapter which contextualizes the volume as a whole, as well as providing a guide to the current historiographical debate; the relationship between gender and welfare in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; the attitudes of the Labour Party to child welfare in the inter-war period; a critical examination of how welfare policies in both England and Japan crucially affected women's life chances; a study of the relationship between poverty, health and gender from 1870 to the inauguration of the National Health Service; case studies of the housing reformer, Octavia Hill, and the prominent female reformer, Louisa Twining; an examination of the issue of birth control in post World War I Britain, concentrating on the successes and failures of women in the Labour movement; and a study of welfare provision for old people in Britain. Gender, Health and Welfare discusses how, and why, gender was important in shaping modern welfare provision. The contributors - several with international reputations - address key issues which will appeal to all students on courses in social policy, gender studies and social history. Theresa Deane, University of Sussex; Anne Digby, Oxford Brookes University; Lesley Hoggart, Goldsmiths College, London University; Jane Lewis, London School of Economics;

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9780415128865

Table of Contents

Reviews

'An interesting collection of papers which deserves to be used for the interesting insight it offers into particular aspects of welfare history.' - Journal of Social Policy 'This is a very enjoyable and informative text for anyone interested in the historical emergence of the welfare state and the contemporary discourse on welfare contribution, provision and entitlement ... a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.' - The Journal of Contemporary Health 'This is a useful and well-written collection which makes a forceful argument for the avoidance of stereotypes in welfare history.' - Economic History Review 'This volume has appeared at a strategic moment. By complicating our understanding of just how contradictory and contested the emergence of the 20th century welfare state was, the contributors allow us to look back at where we hae come from without undue nostalgia.' - Biosocial Science

Author Information

Anne Digby (Author) ,  John Stewart (Author)

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