Delinquent Daughters

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses and analyzes the book "Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920" by Mary E. Odem. The paper analyzes book's thesis and key themes and notes that, in the book, the author, Mary E. Odem, studies the sexuality laws protecting young women in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the reformers who attempted to make sure these laws were held up in court. The paper relates that the theme and underlying thread that ties Odem's work together is her focus on both the moral reform policies of the time and the actual enforcement of those policies at the local court level.

From the Paper:

"The book is actually broken up into two key periods, the 1880s, when society believed young women were morally corrupted by older men, and the two decades after the turn of the century, when reformers believed there was a new type of delinquent young woman who needed policing from her own decadent desires. The first period viewed young women as nothing more than victims of sexual predators, and one reaction was to raise the age of consent in the courts, in an attempt to catch more men preying on young women."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Odem, Mary E. Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1995.

More papers on Delinquent Daughters:

• Case Study # 112372 : "Case Study: Delinquent Juvenile"
• Analytical Essay # 148078 : "A Look at Interventions for Delinquent Youth"
• Research Proposal # 121111 : "Juveniles With Delinquent Peers"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: