“Some Wonder If Government Is Coming Out against Love”

Abstract

Section 213 of the 1932 Federal Economy Act mandated that if both members of a married couple worked for the federal government, one of them—usually the wife—would be dismissed when cuts were made. The law codified widespread prejudice against employed wives. This article interrogates how Depression-era feminists used their organizational publications to combat Section 213, primarily through sensationalist narratives about family hardship and couples scandalously cohabitating. These narratives were amplified in the mainstream press and in a widely syndicated fictional newspaper serial, which was optioned by Warner Bros. for a movie. That mainstream newspapers picked up feminist narratives illustrates the power of sensationalism at a time when objectivity is believed to have dominated news practices. The feminist campaign complicates that view, demonstrating sensationalism’s value as a persuasive tool and its use in “political mimesis,” with feminists asserting political agency by creating “correspondence” with opponents to raise consciousness.