Work, wedlock and widows : comparing the lives of coloured and white women in Cape Town, 1900–1960

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dc.contributor.advisorFourie, Johanen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorBickford-Smith, Vivianen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorInwood, Krisen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorRommelspacher, Amy Fairbairnen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-25T13:29:39Z
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-16T12:52:55Z
dc.date.available2022-11-25T13:29:39Z
dc.date.available2023-01-16T12:52:55Z
dc.date.issued2022-12
dc.descriptionThesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation explores the lives of coloured* and white women in Cape Town from 1900 to 1960. This period includes the South African War, the formation of the Union, white women obtaining the vote, the two World Wars and the formalisation of apartheid. The comparison is appropriate because the population sizes of the two groups were similar – and there were many other social and cultural similarities, from language to religion. One important difference is that while white women have received some academic attention in South African history, coloured women have not. This work aims to fill the gap. I do so using sources such as a household survey and marriage records in order to understand their position in society. Themes that are investigated include marriage age, employment trends, family structures, living standards, wages and the gender wage gap, to name a few. Although these topics might seem disparate, they are all aspects of women’s lives that have been identified as important factors in understanding women’s agency within a society. Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum have argued that these aspects of women’s lives, such as whether or not they are employed in paid labour, play a pivotal role in their own position in society as well as that society as a whole. Ultimately, my purpose is to study the factors that shaped the lives of coloured and white women in early twentieth-century Cape Town. In other parts of the world these aspects of women’s lives have been investigated by historians in much detail, but women’s history in South Africa has been marked by different concerns and approaches. When South African scholars first turned their attention to women’s history, the country was in political turmoil amidst the apartheid regime; this set the tone in the field for decades. This thesis focuses on the history of coloured and white women in South Africa by asking new questions and adopting new approaches to answer them. While the subject is no longer neglected in South Africa, there are areas of women’s history and approaches to the field that have been overlooked. Women’s history has been limited by the availability of sources – and these sources usually focus on specific aspects of women’s lives, such as their involvement in political organisations or events. Often, though, we lack a basic understanding of women’s social lives. This has forced historians to make assumptions; assumptions that I am able to test with new evidence. This dissertation therefore challenges some ideas that have been expressed in existing historiography. One such idea, for example, is that all white households employed domestic servants in South African history. New sources and approaches show that this was simply not the case. This dissertation also provides significant information on wages – something that is severely under-researched in South African history. This wage information is used in this thesis to determine the nature of women’s work in Cape Town, to understand race and gender wage gaps and to ascertain whether Cape Town was a male-breadwinner society. Interdisciplinary methods and new ways of using source material now provide the opportunity to study hidden aspects of women’s lives that have been disregarded. These new approaches can challenge past assumptions and shed light on new questions.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie dissertasie verken die lewe van bruin‡ en wit vroue in Kaapstad van 1900 tot 1960. Hierdie periode sluit in die Suid-Afrikaanse Oorlog, die formasie van die Unie, wit vroue wat die reg verkry om te stem, die twee Wêreld Oorloë en die formalisasie van apartheid. Die vergelyking is gepas omdat die populasiegrootte van die twee groepe soortgelyk was – en daar baie ander sosiale en kulturele ooreenkomste was, van taal tot godsdiens. Een belangrike verskil is egter dat, terwyl wit vroue sommige akademiese aandag ontvang het in Suid- Afrikaanse geskiedenis, het bruin vroue nie. Hierdie werk het ten doel om die gaping te vul. Ek maak so deur bronne te gebruik soos huishoudelike opname en huweliksrekords om hul posisie in die samelewing te verstaan. Temas wat ondersoek word sluit in huweliksouderdom, indiensnemingneigings, familiestrukture, lewenstandaarde, lone, en die geslagsloongaping, om ’n paar te noem. Al lyk hierdie onderwerpe uiteenlopend, is dit al die aspekte van vroue se lewens wat geïdentifiseer is as belangrike faktore in die verstaan van vroue se bemiddeling binne ’n samelewing. Amartya Sen en Martha Nussbaum het geredeneer dat hierdie aspekte van vroue se lewens, soos of hulle aangestel is in betaalde arbeid of nie, ’n beslissende rol in hul eie posisie in die samelewing gespeel het, sowel as in die samelewing as geheel. Uiteindelik is my doel om die faktore te bestudeer wat die lewens van bruin en wit vroue in die vroeë twintigste eeu Kaapstad gevorm het. In ander dele van die wêreld is hierdie aspekte van vroue se lewens reeds deur geskiedkundiges in baie detail ondersoek, maar vrouegeskiedenis in Suid-Afrika is gekenmerk deur verskillende bekommernisse en benaderinge. Toe Suid-Afrikaanse geleerdes eers hul aandag op vrouegeskiedenis gevestig het, was die land in politieke onrus te midde van die apartheidsregering; hierdie het die toon in die veld aangegee vir dekades. Hierdie tesis fokus op die geskiedenis van bruin en wit vroue in Suid-Afrika deur nuwe vrae te vra en nuwe benaderinge aan te neem om dit te beantwoord. Terwyl die onderwerp nie meer verwaarloos word in Suid-Afrika nie, is daar areas van vrouegeskiedenis en benaderinge tot die veld wat oorsien is. Vrouegeskiedenis is beperk deur die beskikbaarheid van bronne – en hierdie bronne fokus gewoonlik op spesifieke aspekte van vroue se lewens, soos hul betrokkenheid in politiese organisasies of gebeurtenisse. Ons het egter gereeld ’n gebrek aan ’n basiese verstaan van vroue se sosiale lewens. Hierdie het geskiedkundiges geforseer om aannames te maak; aannames wat ek kan toets met nuwe bewyse. Hierdie dissertasie daag daarom sommige idees uit wat uitgedruk is in bestaande historiografie. Een so ’n idee, byvoorbeeld, is dat alle wit huishoudings huishoudelike werkers in diens geneem het in Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis. Nuwe bronne en benaderinge bewys dat hierdie eenvoudig nie die geval was nie. Hierdie dissertasie verskaf ook beduidende informasie oor lone – iets wat erg onder-nagevors word in Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis. Hierdie looninformasie is gebruik in hierdie tesis om die natuur van vroue se werk in Kaapstad te bepaal, om ras- en geslagsloongapings te verstaan en om vas te stel of Kaapstad ’n manlike broodwinnersamelewing was. Interdissiplinêre metodes en nuwe maniere om bronmateriaal te gebruik, verskaf nou die geleentheid om versteekte aspekte van vroue se lewens te bestudeer wat geïgnoreer is. Hierdie nuwe benaderinge kan vorige aannames uitdaag en lig op nuwe vrae rig.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extentii, 253 pages : coloured illustrationsen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/126155
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectWomen -- South Africa -- Cape Town -- Social conditionsen_ZA
dc.subjectWomen -- South Africa -- Cape Town -- Economic conditionsen_ZA
dc.subjectWomen -- South Africa -- History -- 1909-1961en_ZA
dc.subjectWhite women in Cape Town from 1900 to 1960en_ZA
dc.subjectColoured women in Cape Town from 1900 to 1960en_ZA
dc.titleWork, wedlock and widows : comparing the lives of coloured and white women in Cape Town, 1900–1960en_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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