Domesticating the Airwaves: Broadcasting, Domesticity and Femininity. By Maggie Andrews

Abstract

In this ambitious and stimulating book, Maggie Andrews explores the complex relationship between broadcasting and domesticity from the foundation of the BBC in 1922 to the present day. Broadcasting, the author argues, has always been ‘preoccupied’ with the home. A considerable amount of programming has been devoted to advice about domestic skills and home improvement, while many of the staples of radio and television drama—especially ‘soap operas’—represent and revolve around family life. At the same time, radio and television dramatically altered men and women's experiences of domesticity, providing a new focus for individual and family leisure and changing the ‘soundscape’ of the home. The lonely housewife, in particular, was offered a new way of connecting to the wider world. This is certainly a rich avenue to pursue: much of the historical work on broadcasting has focused on institutions, especially the BBC, or on news and current affairs output, leaving other strands of programming relatively neglected. And while gender historians have explored the construction of domesticity in some detail through the pages of women's magazines and popular newspapers, less attention has been paid to similar material transmitted via the airwaves. As an experienced social and cultural historian who has previously written on the Women's Institutes and consumption practices, Andrews has the ability to situate broadcasting in the rhythms and realities of everyday life. She draws on an impressive range of sources, moving beyond the BBC Written Archive and the texts and images of the programmes themselves to evidence about reception found in Mass-Observation surveys, oral histories and diaries. The result is a rich study full of interesting detail and perceptive insights.