Women Journalists and the Municipal Housekeeping Movement 1868-1914

‘Municipal housekeepers’ were militant women who believed that a woman’s place was in the home, but that the home was larger than just four walls. They believed a woman’s home was her city and that it was the responsibility of women to keep their cities safe and clean. This study traces the beginnings of municipal housekeeping journalism to the early days of the women’s club movement in America and describes its development in newspapers, club publications, general interest magazines and popular women’s magazines. It is the first study to concentrate on the work of women journalists during the movement, explores the different ways women promoted reform activities in newspapers and magazines, and links the work of the earlier women journalists to the 19th century themes of domesticity and municipal housekeeping.