Question

What was the responsibility of men in Europe and in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries?

Cooking and cleaning

Educating the children

Managing the home

Caring for the daily needs of the children

Answer 1

During the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and the United States, the responsibilities of men were generally focused on roles outside the home, such as providing for the family through employment and engaging in trade, agriculture, or other professions. The traditional gender roles of that time allocated domestic tasks primarily to women.

Men were typically not expected to cook, clean, or manage daily household responsibilities; these duties were largely seen as the realm of women. Educating children often fell to fathers, but this was primarily in the context of moral and religious education, as well as financial support for formal schooling.

While some men might have participated in caring for children, particularly in different social classes or family structures, it was rare for them to take on the primary responsibility for daily childcare and domestic tasks. Therefore, the most accurate reflection of men's responsibilities during that era would emphasize their role as breadwinners and heads of households rather than as caregivers or homemakers.