Download or read book An Economic History of Women in America written by Julie A. Matthaei and published by Schocken. This book was released on 1982 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzing the changing conceptions of women's work and family life in the U.S. from colonial times to the present, Matthaei studies the relationship between capitalism and the sexual division of labor. From the integration within the household of family life and commodity production in the pre-Revolutionary period, she traces the separation of these two areas, resulting in the household being considered the woman's sphere and participation in the work force the man's. The author discusses the recent breakdown of this division, which has seen women coming out of their "proper" place and enter into the labor force.