Speaker: Beth Linker, PhD, Assistant Professor
Department of History and Sociology of
Science,University of Pennsylvania

Title: (Wo)manly Workers: Gender and Rehabilitation in World War I Abstract: World War I Rehabilitators contended that the conventional Victorian notion of womanhood—defined as a nurturing mother-type figure—would be dangerous to the rehabilitation movement, for such a woman might pamper the disabled man, diminishing his will to work. The ideal woman, according to one rehabilitator, would instead exert a “firm but kindly discipline” over disabled men to get them to the point of self-sufficiency. This paper will explore both how female medical aids (physical therapists, occupational therapists, and nurses) and rehabilitating soldiers reacted to this demand.

The Bates Center Seminar Series features scholarly papers and presentations on the history of nursing and health care and welcomes all interested individuals.