Spinsters and Lesbians: Independent Womanhood in the United States

On Methodology

On Methodolog y In thi s boo k I analyze th e lives , from childhoo d throug h adult hood , o f tw o particula r group s o f "independent " women : Pro gressive Era spinsters and contemporary never-marrie d lesbians . For thi s study , I defin e "independent " a s withou t economic , legal, o r sexual/affectiona l tie s t o a n individua l male . Whil e controlling for the economic and legal ties is a rather straightfor ward process , determinin g th e sexual/affectiona l tie s i s mor e difficult. Whil e women of both generations had some affectiona l ties to some men, and at least some of the contemporary wome n had been involved with men sexually, no women of either grou p constructed significan t portion s o f he r adul t lif e aroun d a mal e partner. Wit h thi s workin g definitio n o f independen t women , I sought out my subjects . Subjects Spinsters The fifteen wome n i n the Progressiv e Er a grou p ar e never-mar ried wome n wh o le d women-centered lives . They were not ran 179 180 • O n Methodolog y domly chosen . In an y historica l research , yo u ar e le d b y you r sources. In this case these women wer e chosen becaus e they lef t accessible diaries , private papers , o r othe r first-perso n materia l that contained som e level of self-reflection. 1 All fiftee n o f thes e wome n ar e Euro-Americans , eleve n fro m the middl e o r elit e classe s an d fou r fro m th e workin g class. 2 Among th e latte r ar e tw o wome n wh o emigrate d t o th e Unite d States early in their lives, including one who was Jewish. These are not "typical " women; generally they were economically privileged an d highl y educated . The y share d th e privileg e of race. Most were leaders and prominent women of their generation . Th e working-clas s wome n wer e fro m mor e typica l eco nomic situations , therefor e thei r achievement s mus t b e see n a s even mor e noteworthy . Tha t a numbe r o f thes e wome n ha d female partner s i s no t surprising , bu t th e numbe r wh o raise d children is. Though thes e wome n di d no t clai m lesbia n identities , som e historians have placed them in lesbian history (Coo k 1979 ; Rich 1980; Smith-Rosenber g 1985) . Whil e thi s i s certainl y no t a n uncontested placement , thes e intimate an d affectionat e partner ships amon g middle-clas s women , terme d "romanti c friend ships " o r "Bosto n Marriages, " ar e frequentl y juxtapose d wit h "passing women, " th e mostl y working-clas s wome n wh o as sumed mal e identitie s fo r economi c reason s and/o r t o marr y other wome n (Kat z 1976) . More recen t research identifie s earl y working-class communitie s an d Africa n America n performers , who, alon g wit h th e othe r groups , forme d th e basi s o f moder n lesbian identitie s i n th e Unite d State s (Faderma n 1991 ; Vicinus 1992; Nestle 1993 ; Kennedy and Davis 1993) . A number o f thes e Progressiv e Er a wome n hav e alread y be come visible to us through U.S . women's history' s focu s o n thi s time period , a focu s certainl y justifie d b y women' s prominen t and changin g role s a t th e tur n o f th e century . However , the y have no t bee n viewe d throug h th e particula r len s o f a share d On Methodology • 18 1 single state. 3 The y als o di d no t leav e u s clea r specific s o f thei r sexual/affectional lives . Whil e a few , suc...