Better Homes in America movement
The Better Homes in America movement emerged in the post-World War I era, responding to significant social changes, including an increase in women in the workforce and rising divorce rates. Launched by the women's magazine The Delineator in 1922, the campaign aimed to promote home ownership and efficient housekeeping as patriotic values. This initiative garnered support from prominent political figures, including President Warren Harding and his successors, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. The movement sought to educate American housewives on becoming discerning consumers while reinforcing traditional gender roles, emphasizing men's roles in home design and finance, and women's focus on domestic responsibilities.
Organizers believed that groups such as African Americans, immigrants, and rural residents would particularly benefit from guidance provided by the movement. A notable highlight was a model home built in Washington, D.C., in 1923, which showcased a blend of historical and modern design elements, symbolizing community and family values. The movement continued through the 1930s, influencing standards later adopted by the Federal Housing Administration and shaping the colonial revival style that became characteristic of suburban America.
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Better Homes in America movement
At the end of World War I, there were more women in the workforce due to the war effort. In the postwar era, divorce rates rose, and the availability of the automobile was providing American women with increasing freedom. The 1920 census reported that less than half of the U.S. population owned their own homes. The Better Homes in America movement, which encouraged home ownership as well as housekeeping and modern efficiencies, was a response to these social trends.
In 1922, the women’s magazine The Delineator started a nationwide campaign that promoted home ownership and consumerism as patriotic values. This program was soon embraced by both industry and government, and received support from President Warren Harding, Vice President Calvin Coolidge, and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. The Delineator remained the center of operations for this movement until January 1924, when the U.S. government took on a greater role and the headquarters were moved from New York to Washington, D.C. Coolidge and Hoover would continue to support the movement throughout their respective tenures as president.
The program provided American housewives with expert advice on how to be discerning consumers of goods and modern technologies. It reinforced traditional gender roles, emphasizing men’s involvement in the design and purchase of the home, while women were to focus on domestic duties. While the movement was aimed at all Americans, organizers felt that specific groups such as African Americans, recent immigrants, and residents of rural areas would benefit the most from instruction.
In 1923, to attract national attention to the movement, a model home was built in Washington, D.C., that combined historical elements with modern amenities. The house was a replica of the birthplace of John Howard Payne, author of the song “Home Sweet Home”; its colonial revival style was designed to evoke a sense of community, patriotism, and family values, updated with twentieth-century building materials and conveniences. The kitchen was built according to specifications established by home economists at the Department of Agriculture, with a focus on cleanliness and efficiency. In 1924, the model home was given to the Girl Scouts of America for use as a training ground for future homemakers.
Impact
The Better Homes in America campaign continued throughout the 1930s, though after 1934 it was headquartered at Purdue University in Indiana. It introduced standards that would later be enforced by the Federal Housing Administration and promoted a colonial revival aesthetic that would come to define the suburban landscape in much of the United States.
Bibliography
Altman, Karen E. “Consuming Ideology: The Better Homes in America Campaign.” Critical Studies in Mass Communication 7, no. 3 (1990): 286–307.
Hutchison, Janet. “The Cure for Domestic Neglect: Better Homes in America, 1922–1935.” Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture 2 (1986): 168–178.
Luken, Paul C., and Suzanne Vaughan. “Standardizing Childrearing Through Housing.” Social Problems 53, no. 3 (2006): 299–331.