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Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920
Delinquent Daughters explores the gender, class, and racial tensions that fueled campaigns to control female sexuality in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America. Mary Odem looks at these moral reform movements from a national perspective, but she also undertakes a detailed analysis of court records to explore the local enforcement of regulatory legislation in Alameda and Los Angeles Counties in California. From these legal proceedings emerge overlapping and often contradictory views of middle-class female reformers, court and law enforcement officials, working-class teenage girls, and working-class parents. Odem traces two distinct stages of moral reform. The first began in 1885 with the movement to raise the age of consent in statutory rape laws as a means of protecting young women from predatory men. By the turn of the century, however, reformers had come to view sexually active women not as victims but as delinquents, and they called for special police, juvenile courts, and reformatories to control wayward girls. Rejecting a simple hierarchical model of class control, Odem reveals a complex network of struggles and negotiations among reformers, officials, teenage girls and their families. She also addresses the paradoxical consequences of reform by demonstrating that the protective measures advocated by middle-class women often resulted in coercive and discriminatory policies toward working-class girls.
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 13, 2019
Of the three books I've read on this topic recently, this was the best: more readable than Bad Girls and with a better scope than either Bad Girls or Trials of Nina McCall.
Odem looks at how moral crusaders, particularly women's groups, pushed to raise the age of consent in the U.S. to sixteen, or better yet, eighteen, believing this would protect girls from predatory men (one rape-apologist objection was that it was the girls who were predators: a fourteen-year-old could seduce a man, cry rape and blackmail him!).
For many working-class families, the law became a tool for restraining girls who were showing too much independence. For the legal system it became more about punishing non-virgin girls than protecting them (the boy got a slap on the wrist, the girl went to detention). And even for the Progressive reformers, it was about controlling girls' lives though not so oppressively. The girls themselves ranged from victims of abuse and rape to girls who just wanted to have fun, and did.
A very good job capturing how different sides reacted to these issues.
Odem looks at how moral crusaders, particularly women's groups, pushed to raise the age of consent in the U.S. to sixteen, or better yet, eighteen, believing this would protect girls from predatory men (one rape-apologist objection was that it was the girls who were predators: a fourteen-year-old could seduce a man, cry rape and blackmail him!).
For many working-class families, the law became a tool for restraining girls who were showing too much independence. For the legal system it became more about punishing non-virgin girls than protecting them (the boy got a slap on the wrist, the girl went to detention). And even for the Progressive reformers, it was about controlling girls' lives though not so oppressively. The girls themselves ranged from victims of abuse and rape to girls who just wanted to have fun, and did.
A very good job capturing how different sides reacted to these issues.
January 22, 2022
Great clear writing and excellent use of court cases. Also does a great job of fleshing out historical context. Not the most creative of interventions but an important one. Sex, gender, and agency are complicated !!
December 3, 2019
so good!
May 23, 2025
women’s sexuality has been policed and will continue to be policed until the end of time. women are sexually exploited from birth, and this book highlights the lack of autonomy
August 21, 2010
Delinquent Daughters is the perfect marriage of history and
Sociology. Odem holds a Doctorate in History and is an Associate Professor at Emory University in the Department of History and Women’s studies. Odem is well qualified to teach this subject. Odem explains the books objective is to make three main arguments this is explained in the books introduction. Odem’s first argument is to clarify the moral campaign to reform teenage female sexuality. Her second argument is
the state of California paid a hefty price for said campaign, as they could not absolutely control sexuality. The final argument, self-rule in working class families was the underlying cause for cases of teenage daughters brought to court. The book focuses on moral campaigns and enforcement of sexual policies and Progressive campaigns to control and reform female sexuality.
Odem did thorough research and read various publications from Universities, the National Archives, the Los Angles and Huntington Beach Libraries, and read publications from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Young Women’s Christian Association. The bibliography cites manuscripts, newspapers and journals, annual reports and government documents, books, articles and unpublished studies were sources for this book. Odem also refers to court records and specific cases to back her evidence and notates that many books were cited as source material in the books notes. The evidence presented is abundant and some of it irrefutable. For example, she argues there is a double standard to prove the point she proved that most men found guilty of having sex with a minor received an insignificant punishment like probation. The female was humiliated by the mandatory pelvic exam and cross-examination in court and in some cases was sent to a reformatory or sent to work, as a domestic proving there was a double standard. Odem uses sentencing statistics, court records and various publications to back her point. None of the evidence appears to be conflicting or irrelevant.
Odem makes a logical argument the book is written from the
expository perspective but occasionally turns to the persuasive perspective and at times could become redundant. The book became more interesting and persuasive when Odem presented real court cases as evidence like Mae Tanner, Pauline Taylor, Minnie Kent and many other girls. Odem to breaks up the main issues such as the “delinquent Girl” , working class families, the mothers roles in the courts proceedings, and other issues into six chapters and keeps each point clearly organized and separate from the others to help lesson any confusion on the part of the reader. Odem also makes a clear distinction of the evolution of the Progressives belief from the 1880’s that young women were seduced and corrupted by older and more sophisticated men to the belief later in the 1900’s that home and society were responsible for a girls “moral downfall”. Odem also clearly lays out how the Progressives relied on the state and legal system to control female offenders. The subject matter seems complete and not lacking except when it comes to African Americans. While Odem does shed, some light on how this issue did affect African American’s and does mention key African American Players in female sexual reform like Janie Porter Barrett. I feel African Americans and Whites should have had equal focus in this book. California has a large population of African Americans especially in Oakland and Los Angeles.
The age of consent law campaign’s significance is clearly
explained as is the moral reform movement and enforcement that came along with the campaign to raise the age of consent law. The book clearly also paints the sociological view of a young women’s place in society and how even something as a young woman wearing makeup can be seen as rebellious. Odem also explored how class and race played a role in the reform of teenage sexuality and how it came to be that the majority of cases that ended up in court were those of a working class family. Odem clearly explains the struggle between parent and child and the state and the parent. This book is very relevant to a future history course as it explains and shapes how society viewed young women for thirty-five years and gives the reader a clear impression of what it was like to be a female living in this time. This book was informative and sheds a light on a subject of History in the state of California we seldom hear of today.
Sociology. Odem holds a Doctorate in History and is an Associate Professor at Emory University in the Department of History and Women’s studies. Odem is well qualified to teach this subject. Odem explains the books objective is to make three main arguments this is explained in the books introduction. Odem’s first argument is to clarify the moral campaign to reform teenage female sexuality. Her second argument is
the state of California paid a hefty price for said campaign, as they could not absolutely control sexuality. The final argument, self-rule in working class families was the underlying cause for cases of teenage daughters brought to court. The book focuses on moral campaigns and enforcement of sexual policies and Progressive campaigns to control and reform female sexuality.
Odem did thorough research and read various publications from Universities, the National Archives, the Los Angles and Huntington Beach Libraries, and read publications from the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and Young Women’s Christian Association. The bibliography cites manuscripts, newspapers and journals, annual reports and government documents, books, articles and unpublished studies were sources for this book. Odem also refers to court records and specific cases to back her evidence and notates that many books were cited as source material in the books notes. The evidence presented is abundant and some of it irrefutable. For example, she argues there is a double standard to prove the point she proved that most men found guilty of having sex with a minor received an insignificant punishment like probation. The female was humiliated by the mandatory pelvic exam and cross-examination in court and in some cases was sent to a reformatory or sent to work, as a domestic proving there was a double standard. Odem uses sentencing statistics, court records and various publications to back her point. None of the evidence appears to be conflicting or irrelevant.
Odem makes a logical argument the book is written from the
expository perspective but occasionally turns to the persuasive perspective and at times could become redundant. The book became more interesting and persuasive when Odem presented real court cases as evidence like Mae Tanner, Pauline Taylor, Minnie Kent and many other girls. Odem to breaks up the main issues such as the “delinquent Girl” , working class families, the mothers roles in the courts proceedings, and other issues into six chapters and keeps each point clearly organized and separate from the others to help lesson any confusion on the part of the reader. Odem also makes a clear distinction of the evolution of the Progressives belief from the 1880’s that young women were seduced and corrupted by older and more sophisticated men to the belief later in the 1900’s that home and society were responsible for a girls “moral downfall”. Odem also clearly lays out how the Progressives relied on the state and legal system to control female offenders. The subject matter seems complete and not lacking except when it comes to African Americans. While Odem does shed, some light on how this issue did affect African American’s and does mention key African American Players in female sexual reform like Janie Porter Barrett. I feel African Americans and Whites should have had equal focus in this book. California has a large population of African Americans especially in Oakland and Los Angeles.
The age of consent law campaign’s significance is clearly
explained as is the moral reform movement and enforcement that came along with the campaign to raise the age of consent law. The book clearly also paints the sociological view of a young women’s place in society and how even something as a young woman wearing makeup can be seen as rebellious. Odem also explored how class and race played a role in the reform of teenage sexuality and how it came to be that the majority of cases that ended up in court were those of a working class family. Odem clearly explains the struggle between parent and child and the state and the parent. This book is very relevant to a future history course as it explains and shapes how society viewed young women for thirty-five years and gives the reader a clear impression of what it was like to be a female living in this time. This book was informative and sheds a light on a subject of History in the state of California we seldom hear of today.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2015
Insightful, thoroughly researched, and brilliantly argued historical account of age of consent laws, the juvenile justice system, and the effect of these on working class girls in late 19th/early 20th century California. Odem argues that ostensibly feminist campaigns by white, middle class reformers (first social purity activists, then Progressives) manifested as highly authoritarian, moralistic, and patriarchal systems of state control of young working class women and girls. Middle class reformers were brought into alliances with social conservatives and the state because they held to fundamentally anti-feminist views of all sexually active young women as either agentless victims or social deviants; moreover, they attempted to use the state to enforced rigid class-based gender roles and morality, and operated on racist ideologies that punished African American and immigrant men when allowing white, native-born men to walk away scot-free. Girls and young women were highly policed and were arrested and detained for everything from staying out late, to having premarital sex, to wearing make-up, and were regularly subjected to invasive, humiliating, and mandatory pelvic exams and venereal diseases tests. This book is really unique, and I can't do justice to all of the nuances of Odem's argument here. While maintaining an abiding commitment to feminism, her work raises difficult questions for feminists today about gender mainstreaming, institutionalization, state involvement, the criminal justice system, sexual politics, and issues of the sexual agency and autonomy of young women and girls. There are parallels between this book and works such ad Laura Agustin's "Sex at the Margins," which calls into question the contemporary campaign as "sex trafficking" as a feminist issue. My only gripes are that Odem doesn't really give us a picture of the kind of rape culture and sexual violence that young women were facing other than to point out that there was a lot of it, often in their own homes. I would have liked to have known how these women responded to the rape culture they experienced even as they fought for sexual autonomy and against moral policing; that said, that's beyond the scope of this book, so I can't really fault here. A must read for insight on feminist concerns about young women's sexuality today!
November 29, 2013
It's a good book, and I feel like I might understand the background of some current American politics better. The only odd thing is that for all its mentions of female sexually unorthodox behaviour, homosexuality is entirely abesent. The only mentions were the bit at the start about parents of boys using the law to stop their sons from engaging in homosexual relationships that was it. I don't know a lot about the view people in the USA had of lesbians at the time; perhaps it was a period in which lesbian sex was seen as not real and so a non-issue? The author probably assumes readers already know this, or just chose to focus on unorthodox heterosexual relationships entirely. Well, whatever the reason, it seemed like an odd missing bit. This is still a very informative (and depressing, really) book, though.
November 21, 2014
Comprehensive, in-depth look at anxieties around female teenage sexuality in the early 20th century. My one real criticism is that it was extremely repetitive in many places. Otherwise, an excellent primer on the history of sexuality and adolescence in the early 20th century.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews