This thesis aims to explore the relationship between the geographies of law, society, economy and the physical environment in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century rural England. It uses as its exploring ground the operation of the Old Poor Law in rural Oxfordshire. This county was chosen because it was both a microcosm of the farming landscape of Southern England and was one of the counties where the problem of poor relief was most acutely felt. Chapter 1 establishes that the mapping out of spatial diversity, and the consideration of the forces moulding it, is fundamental to an understanding of the functioning of the Old Poor Law. Chapter 2 uses data contained in the parliamentary returns to demonstrate some clear regional differences in the level of poor relief and the chronology of change. Chapters 3 and 4 show that these regional averages and trends do not make intelligible the kaleidoscopic welter of local variations indicated by a closer examination of parish records. Chapters 5 and 6 consider poor relief expenditure in four parishes: Cropredy, Pyrton, Spelsbury and Stoke Lyne. These show that differences in the level of poor relief expenditure cannot automatically be taken to indicate variations in the level of what we might think of as unemployment or poverty. The generosity of disbursements, and therefore the real incomes of the poor, could also vary markedly between parishes. Thus, the Old Poor Law cannot be detached from the particular places in which it acquired its meaning and saliency. Its impact upon the daily lives of ratepayers, administrators and recipient can be established and the poor treated as individuals rather than as abstract units of labour.

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This study explored the work of nursing and the social influences of eugenic policies established during the Progressive Era (1890-1930) on the writing and passage of the Social Security Act of 1935. The research questions: "Did eugenic philosophy and practice influence the Social Security Act of 1935 in relation to Maternal Health Policy?" and 'What was nursing's influence on the Social Security Act of 1935?" required the social history research method. Data were evaluated with the conclusion that eugenic policies did influence the writing and passage of the Social Security Act. Also, that nurses, and other women, played a specific, important and constructive role in developing the Act. During the late 1800s and early 1900s prominent leaders of business, science, philanthropy, and social reform supported the eugenic agenda to assure the wellbeing of hard working "Anglo-Saxon" American citizens. Industrialization and scientific advances in medicine gave Americans the impression that the "production" of healthy, intelligent children could be controlled, efficient, and predictable. Better breeding as a means for social improvement, which fueled the eugenics movement's use of science to solve social problems through governmental involvement, had two sides. Positive eugenics increased information on health and illness prevention, and established well baby clinics; however, negative eugenics advocated controlled reproduction through sterilization of persons considered "unfit." By 1935, twenty-eight states had eugenic sterilization laws. Noted reformers during this time (Lillian Wald, Jane Addams, and Florence Kelley) worked with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to establish the Federal Children's Bureau. The Bureau had a direct influence on the maternal and child health policy established by the Social Security Act of 1935. / This legacy continues today in the continued fight for women and children's social and economic rights.The Social Security Act's intention, economic security for all citizens, was not realized. Sections of the Act focused on maternalistic social views and sought to maintain a patriarchal family structure. The language of the Social Security Act created barriers to benefits for the most vulnerable. In fact, it seems reasonable to conclude that institutionalized health care disparities laid their roots in America through this legislation. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

À la fin du 19ème siècle s'organise progressivement en Belgique un vaste mouvement de lutte contre la mortalité infantile. Des médecins et des femmes philanthropes créent des oeuvres, les consultations de nourrissons, qui visent à apprendre aux mères à soigner leurs enfants suivant les nouveaux préceptes de l'hygiène. Durant la Première Guerre mondiale, elles connaissent un formidable essor et finissent par couvrir le pays. Après la guerre, le principe de la protection sanitaire du jeune enfant est inscrit dans la loi et un organisme est spécialement créé à cet effet :l'Oeuvre nationale de l'enfance (ONE). L'ONE, qui dépend directement du Gouvernement, contrôle et finance durant l'entre-deux-guerres plus d'un millier d'oeuvres de l'enfance. À la veille de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, près de la moité des enfants âgés de moins d'un an, accompagnés de leur mère, y sont suivis de manière plus ou moins prolongée. Ces oeuvres participent à un vaste mouvement d'éducation maternelle et d'assignation des femmes à la sphère reproductive et domestique, tout en favorisant la médicalisation de la grossesse et de l'accouchement.<p>Cette thèse étudie le mouvement de protection sanitaire du jeune enfant et la médicalisation de la maternité dans une perspective de genre. À travers une analyse des discours de ses promoteurs et des principes d'organisation des oeuvres, elle montre combien les enjeux politiques, sociaux, démographiques et sexués ont durablement influencé l'organisation de la protection infantile et maternelle. Elle apporte de nouvelles réflexions sur la dimension sociale de l'éducation maternelle. Elle met par ailleurs en exergue le rôle essentiel joué par les femmes, aux côtés des médecins, dans la gestion des oeuvres de l'enfance et analyse le statut et les relations de pouvoir qui se sont tissées entre les médecins, les dames patronnesses, les travailleuses sociales et les représentants de l'État. Les investissements sociaux féminins sont analysés sous l'angle de leur autonomie, de leur visibilité et de leur portée émancipatrice. Ce faisant, cette thèse montre de quelle manière les œuvres de l'enfance ont favorisé, de manière assez paradoxale, une transgression des modèles sexués en favorisant un questionnement sur la condition maternelle et l'intervention des femmes dans la sphère publique et politique. / Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished