Husbands & Wives, Dangerousness & Dependence: Public Pensions in the 1860s-1920s

Denver University Law Review, Vol. 75, Pp. 1181-1213, 1999

Posted: 9 Jun 1999

See all articles by Susan M. Sterett

Susan M. Sterett

University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Abstract

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, states enacted public pension programs for civil servants, following on military pensions. In contests over who deserved these pensions, discussions in courts moved from an anaylsis of the obligations owed to the national government and the relationship between the state and national governments to an analysis of the qualities required to perform the work. Earned benefits were often considered to require masculine characteristics, considering marriage as part of a proper masculine role. When women claimed the benefits as heirs, courts would sometimes consider what made a woman a proper wife. This article discusses these benefits in light of assessing a sometimes close connection in state policy between heterosexuality and gender.

Suggested Citation

Sterett, Susan M., Husbands & Wives, Dangerousness & Dependence: Public Pensions in the 1860s-1920s. Denver University Law Review, Vol. 75, Pp. 1181-1213, 1999, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=163293

Susan M. Sterett (Contact Author)

University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) ( email )

1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
United States

HOME PAGE: http://susanmsterett.com

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