Home / Law / Diversity & Inclusion / Understanding Gender Inequality / A History of Gender and the Home
A History of Gender and the Home
In this section we explore some of the themes that have influenced the gendering of the home over time. These include health developments, technology, social attitudes, government policy and organisational practices.
© University of Exeter
In this section we explore some of the themes that have influenced the gendering of the home over time. These include health developments, technology, social attitudes, government policy and organisational practices. There is so much more that could be said on this topic – and you might have some good examples of your own – so use this timeline as a starting point and think about what else might be included.
A History of Gender and the Home
| Year/Period | Theme | Event |
| 1779 | Pre-school care | The first pre-school was launched in Strasbourg, France |
| 1800 | Maternal mortality | 900 in 100,000 women worldwide died from pregnancy or childbirth |
| 19th Century | Breadwinner model | Said to have emerged as an idea during the industrial revolution and primarily affecting the middle classes, this was a family model where the adult male became the breadwinner for the family (instead of all members of the family working) |
| 1917 | Day care facilities | By this date around 100 financially supported day care centres were available in the UK – but only for women working in the munitions industry, supporting the war effort |
| 1920’s | Gendered spheres | Some women resisted the right to vote because it wasn’t their ‘proper sphere of life’. There were also widely held views that married women shouldn’t work. However, it was also at this time that many women remained single and required an income due to the generation of men lost at war |
| 1930’s | Electricity and Devices | More widespread introduction of electricity into homes, and rise of labour-saving devices (vacuum cleaners, irons etc). Reduction in domestic help |
| 1950’s | Birth rate | Between 1950-55 the birth-rate per 1000 people worldwide was 37.2% |
| 1962 | Marriage Bar | Barclays Bank in the UK removed their marriage bar (preventing married women from working) |
| 1970 | Stay at home mothers | US: 40% of married women with working husbands stayed at home to raise the family |
| 1974 | Shared parental leave | Sweden was the first country to introduce parental leave that could be split between mothers and fathers |
| 1975 | Working women | 57% of working aged women in the UK were employed or self-employed |
| 1979 | One-Child Policy | China Introduced a one-child policy, limiting family sizes and population growth |
| 1993 | Shared Parental Leave | Norway introduced a ‘daddy quota’ to ensure some of the shared leave was taken by fathers |
| 2000’s | Birth rate | Between 2000 and 2005 the birth-rate per 1000 people worldwide was 20.3% |
| 2010 | Free child care | The UK launched a programme offering 15 free child care hours for young children |
| 2012 | Stay at home mothers | US: 20% of married women with working husbands stayed at home to raise the family |
| 2015 | Maternal mortality | 216 in 100,000 women worldwide died from pregnancy or childbirth |
| 2015 | Shared parental leave | Shared parental leave introduced in the UK |
| 2017 | Working women | 78% of working aged women in the UK were employed or self-employed |
© University of Exeter
Reach your personal and professional goals
Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.
Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.
