Public Debate over Private Life

At the beginning of the twentieth century, an increasing number of people could aspire to a comfortable family life because of Europe’s improved standard of living. Yet as the twentieth century opened, traditional social norms such as heterosexual marriage and woman’s domestic role as wife and mother came under attack by what were seen as the forces of modernity. The falling birthrate, rising divorce rate, and growing activism for marriage reform provoked heated accusations that changes in private life were endangering national health. Discussions about sexual identity became a political issue, and some feared the disappearance of distinct gender roles. Women’s visibility in public life prompted one British songster in the late 1890s to write:

Rock-a-bye baby, for father is near

Mother is “biking” she never is here!

Out in the park she’s scorching all day

Or at some meeting is talking away!

Discussions of gender roles and private life contributed to rising social tensions because they challenged so many traditional ideals. Freud and other scientists tried to be dispassionate in their study of such phenomena—sexuality, for example—and to formulate treatments for so-called modern ailments such as those afflicting the Wolf-Man.