Ethgender, Women's Waged Labor, and Economic Mobility

Abstract

This article illustrates the theoretical utility of a modified version of the concept “ethgender.” Ethgender is defined as that portion of identity which embodies both gender and ethnicity and which is formed as a totality as a result of a single set of sociohistorical processes. The focus is on a single aspect of ethgender—that which defines the appropriateness of married women, with husbands present, engaging in waged labor. After examining theories which purport to explain the origin, evolution, and waning of the “cult of domesticity,” the article examines the manner in which the cult of domesticity varies by ethnicity and the consequences of such variation for current economic status and future mobility. Policy implications of the findings are explored in the conclusion.