Bailey's article outlines her argument that "the majority of individuals suffered ...socio-economic decline" upon dissolution of their marriage. She cites numerous records of marital difficulties to support her claims. Men and women alike found themselves in a worsened situation if they chose to separate. These records can also be utilized to visualize the living and working arrangements of ex-spouses. Much of Bailey's documentation comes from eighteenth century England.
"Poverty frequently fragmented families," Bailey says. Among the poorer families, husbands left wives and children in times of dire economic need. Bailey points out that the connection between abandonment and economic difficulties is strong in the second half of the eighteenth century: this is a period when desertions rose, and simultaneously food prices increased and "probably outstripped wage rates." Monetary penalties, incarcerations, and transfer to America all are recorded methods of punishment for fathers guilty of absconding. This suggests the importance and severity with which desertion of families by fathers was viewed upon by the state.
Bailey argues that single and previously married people alike sought to create a household like unto marriage, where multiple parties work as one to fulfill responsibilities and pool resources. Even relatively well-off gentlemen who had dissolved marriages were compelled to find others that fulfilled the role of wife and mother. Bailey states the amount of co-dependency between husband and wife in this period was great, thus the dissolution of marriage had mutual detrimental affects. Bailey cites records of employment as the best gauge of living arrangements post-divorce, as records do not reveal living arrangements of separated spouses.
While women were often the victims of abandonment, Bailey states that it is a mistake to "type-cast" deserted wives as victims, as there is plenty of evidence that they were able to find jobs. Rather, divorced men are the ones more reliant on wives. This statement is backed by her using the statistic of more elderly women living alone than elderly men in the eighteenth century. However, the greatest lesson to be learned is the "extensive co-dependency within marriage.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I agree with Nick’s analysis of Bailey’s article regarding the decline in economic status both men and women suffer from as a result of a failed marriage or widowhood. I would like to add, however, connections we see from Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park regarding the economic and social status of those involved in the Crawford-Rushworth-Bertram affair that somewhat contradict Bailey’s argument. Maria and Mrs. Norris leave the area in social and familial disgrace following her divorce from Mr. Rushworth. Rushworth is not economically worse off, and can marry again, but carries with him (we assume) the social stigma of having his wife run off with someone else. Crawford likewise is no worse off financially or socially. The main reason why this example in Austen’s fiction does not fit Bailey’s argument is that the social status of the Bertrams, Rushworths, and Crawfords allowed the male participant (and victim) of the affair to remain economically stable. Mr. Rushworth could rely on his mother to fulfill the womanly duties of his estates until he found a young woman to marry again, and Henry Crawford could continue living his bachelor life—managing his estate and visiting friends. The benevolence of Sir Thomas was what saved Maria from economic ruin—as her father he felt partly responsible for the mismatched marriage and thus obligated to keep her comfortable for the rest of her isolated life. If the Bertrams, Rushworths, and Crawfords were of a lower socioeconomic class, the results would have conformed more to Bailey’s argument.
I think it is also important to point out the reasons Bailey mentions for the dissolution of marriage. Existing records from mostly professionals and gentry show that marriages could end for many of the same reasons they are ended today: falling out of love, levels of wealth and financial independence, and infidelity. If faced with intolerable cruelty, wives would often choose to divorce despite the potential economic repercussions.
Post a Comment