Supposing the Baby is a Girl: Sexism in Dr. Benjamin Spock’s Written Works

We explore Dr. Benjamin Spock’s treatment of women in his books and magazine columns.

Listeners! Let us know your favorite parenting advice book or website. Leave it in a review!

Spock recordings used with permission from WNYC Archive Collections and Minnesota Public Radio.

References

• Atkinson, V. Sue. “Shifting Sands: Professional Advice to Mothers in the First Half of the Twentieth Century.” Journal of Family History vol. 42, no. 2, 2017, pp. 128-146.
• Bloom, Lynn. Doctor Spock: Biography of a Conservative Radical. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, 1972.
• Broder, Sherri. “Child Care or Child Neglect? Baby Farming in Late-nineteenth-century Philadelphia.” Gender and Society vol. 2, no. 2, 128-148. 
• Cooper, D. “Dr. Benjamin Spock.” WNYC. 1 October 1973.   
• Dobris, Catherine, et. al. “The Spockian Mother: Images of the ‘Good’ Mother in Dr. Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care” Communication Quarterly, vol. 65, no. 1, 2017, 39-59.
• Hulbert, Ann. Raising America: Experts, Parents, and a Century of Advice About Children. Knopf, 2003.
• Maier, Thomas. Dr. Spock: An American Life. Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998.
• Needleman, Robert and Benjamin Spock. Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care, 10th ed. Gallery Books, 2018. 
• O’Reilly, Jane. “Raising Children In a Difficult Time.” The New York Times. 14 April 1974.   
• Potter, Bob. “Benjamin Spock Discusses Baby and Child Care.” 21 September 1984. Minnesota Public Radio.  
• Spock, Benjamin, M.D. and Mary Morgan. Spock on Spock: A Memoir of Growing Up with the Century. Pantheon Books,  1985.
• Spock, Benjamin. The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. Duell, Sloan + Pearce, 1957.
• ---. The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care. Duell, Sloan + Pearce, 1946.
• ---. Decent and Indecent: Our Personal and Political Behavior. The McCall Publishing Company, 1969.
• ---. “Male Chauvinist Spock Recants: Well, Almost.” The New York Times. 12 September 1971, p. 98
• Talbot, M. “A Spock Marked Generation.” New York Times Magazine. 3 January 1999, pp. 20-21.

Keywords
Sexism, domestic labor, mom guilt, pronouns, gender roles, fathers, dads, mothers, moms, mommy, pediatrician, parent advice, feeding children, baby food, baby development, child development, baby milestones, patriarchy, spoiled children, helicopter parents, babytalk, husband, wife, marriage, mental load, co-parents, co-parent, baby blues, postpartum depression, self care, breastfeeding, formula feeding, baby formula, weaning, marxism, second wave feminism, working moms, working mothers, working parents, working dad, housework, betty friedan, gloria steinem, feminine mystique, gender equality, apology, apologies, child rearing, redbook, magazine publishing, caregiver, wages, capitalism, daycare, dual income, dual incomes, breadwinner, preschool, baby farm, twentieth century, resume gap, 1900s, history, american history, neuroses, neurotic, comics, comic strips, screen time 

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