Charlotte Baum, Paula Hyman, and Sonya Michael, The Jewish Woman in America (1975): 91-120 (chapt. 4)
 

STUDY QUESTIONS

1) How would you describe the respective roles of Jewish women and men among first generation immigrants? Had these roles changed from those of the Old World?

2) What was women's economic contribution to the household economy?

3) How did the women manage the demands of remunerative work with those of the family?

4) How were family networks affected by the often harsh New World urban environment?

5) What resources, if any, were available to new immigrants in need of initial assistance?

6) Why did "informal community support systems" often break down? What happened to orphans? To young women unable to find employment?

7) Despite the difficulties, why were many Jewish immigrants at an advantage compared to members of other ethnic groups, according to the authors?

8) What were some of the primary occupations which Jewish women and men engaged in after arriving in the United States in this period?

9) Why have many observers and historians often failed to acknowledge Jewish women's material contributions to the survival and success of the immigrant generation?