Aspiration is the main driving factor that has led us to the American society we know today. The fact that a single-family home in the suburbs is a sign of success has been driven into our minds from a very young age. Throughout this course we have explored the history of the home and the types of transitions that it has been subject to. But despite some changes and transitions three main societal values relating to the home have continued to exist. These values are that owning a home is something all individuals should strive for and represents a sign their success, a perfect home (inside and out) coveys the message of a perfect family, and a woman must organize and run the home regardless of whether she works outside of the home. “This housing represents the haven strategy of building homes as retreats for male workers and as workplaces for their wives” (Hayden, 24). This quote sums up the three societal values that have existed for several years and still exist in present day.
The first and most important home related value is something that has existed since the beginning of the nineteenth century. “To the majority of citizens in the early republic, the ideal American home was an independent homestead, attractive enough to encourage family pride yet unpretentious and economical” (Wright, 74). Americans during this time wanted their own space to foster their family relations. These single-family homes of the time were known as cottages and represented the earliest form of home aspiration. The cottages were spread out and lots of land came with each home. This was the first kind of home Americans could work towards. These cottages represented their success as an individual and gave their family and good name and reputation. This desire to own a home and the benefits that come with it still exists today. But today the unpretentious and economical factor that cottage owners exhibited is not the same. It has transformed into to family’s wanting huge homes that show off their wealth.
The next home related value that has continued to exist is the importance of the interior and exterior appearance of the home. In today’s day and age showing off what you have is almost normal and expected. But this isn’t a recent phenomenon. As home appliances became more advanced, Americans wanted to buy them, but importantly wanted to show them off. “To many Americans, mechanical devices for the home were the essence of progressive improvements and a bright future” (Wright, 170). Aside from internal appearances, the outside façade of the home was and still is equally as important. Prospective buyers want to ensure that they are looking in a good neighborhood because that means safety, security, and status. “People who want residential sanctuaries are fighting for their ideal of home, family, and property” (Wright, 272). The clip below shows how important the location of a house is. Because if you are buying in a good location, than there is a better chance of having an aesthetically pleasing home. This leads to a positive display of your home, and as stated before – a perfect home means a perfect family, or at least the appearance of one.
The last home related value that has continued to exist, yet at the same time has changed the most is role of the woman in the home. “During the last half-century, while the majority of white male workers have achieved the dream houses in suburbia where their fantasies of proprietorship, authority, and consumption could be acted out, the majority of their spouses have entered the world of paid employment” (Hayden, 68). In the video below we see a parody of how women we expected to act in the 1950s.
The home was their only workplace and they were expected to keep it absolutely perfect. But modern women not only work outside of the home, but are also expected to take care home-related duties. “Employed women often find themselves with two jobs: one at home, one at work. Pulled between unpaid work and paid work, women race from office or factory to home and back again” (Hayden, 68). This transition from their sole role as homemakers to juggling employment and family life has shown that even though women have left the home, they are still expected to tend to its functionality and activities.
All of these values show how and why Americans aspire to have the best home environment possible. Appearances seem to be everything in today’s and age, so in order to keep up you must have the same goals and aspirations that society has deemed as acceptable.
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Works Cited:
Hayden, Dolores. Redesigning the American Dream: The Future of Housing, Work, and Family Life. New York: W.W. Norton, 1984. Print.
Wright, Gwendolyn. Building the Dream: A Social History of Housing in America. New York: Pantheon, 1981. Print.
Images Cited:
Google Images - "Suburban Estates"
Google Images- "19th Century Cottage"
Google Images- "Mansions"
Google Images- "Women Juggling Work and Home"
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