I hadn't yet seen your rant when I posted this; I was basing it on several others I've seen. I'm sorry for any misunderstanding which might have occurred. With regards to Lily not working outside the home, I get the feeling that James wasn't either. When you're in enough danger that your whereabouts are guarded by a secret-keeper, going to work seems like just a bad idea.
One other woman whose status seems to be "housewife" is Narcissa Black-Malfoy. However, I have my doubts that either of them would deign to sully their hands with something so base as work. Lucius was often spotted at the Ministry of Magic throwing money around, but I got the idea he was throwing around inheritance rather than anything he'd earned himself (or Narcissa had earned, for that matter).
Sadly, it is known that Alice Longbottom went to work after Neville's birth. He, like Harry, was one year old when Tom Riddle Jr made his big mistake. Both Alice and Frank were pursuing Death Eaters still on the loose after the big mistake when they were driven insane via the cruciatus curse.
I was rereading book six tonight, and Fleur mentions still working part-time at Gringott's, where she had met Bill. I had thought Amelia Bones was Susan Bones' (Hufflepuff in Harry's year) mother, but it turns out she was an aunt. Unfortunately I could not find what I was looking for; a laundry list of students discovering their relatives were missing/dead, and why it was suspected they were targeted.
You brought up something I noticed and have been pondering since I saw the first rant. It is true that none of the female faculty/staff at Hogwarts seemed to have spouses or children. The thing is, neither did any of the males. I'm trying to figure out if they had to be single in order to teach in the boarding school (with faculty on-grounds at all times) setting or if Ms. Rowling just left out any reference to spouses and children just to keep things simple.
A lot of women are mentioned as working at the ministry with no mention (that I can remember) of family. In fact, except for Barty Crouch and Arthur Weasley, I don't remember any mention of any family on the part of ministry workers in the first six books. I certainly hope Umbridge never spawned.
I believe Hermione says her parents are both dentists, not that her mother is a hygienist. Not that hygienists are not excellent, highly-trained people, but as far as I can tell her mom has the British equivalent of a DDS.
It seems that not much was said any which way, which goes back to my original statement: it's truly sad that even in this day in age, it is assumed that the absence of explicit statements to the contrary are interpreted as proof that the women have embarked upon a set path.
On side note, we are from the older generation now. I wonder how children reading the books these days interpret the whole thing? It may be that they don't see it the way we do; perhaps they are not as sensitized to the absence of direct reference as we are. I'll need to ask my cousin next time I see her, but as her mother is a dentist (and they go by Dr. and Mr. <name>, just for reference), she may read things into it that others wouldn't, especially since her mom shares a profession with Hermione's mum.
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Date: 2007-07-25 12:08 pm (UTC)One other woman whose status seems to be "housewife" is Narcissa Black-Malfoy. However, I have my doubts that either of them would deign to sully their hands with something so base as work. Lucius was often spotted at the Ministry of Magic throwing money around, but I got the idea he was throwing around inheritance rather than anything he'd earned himself (or Narcissa had earned, for that matter).
Sadly, it is known that Alice Longbottom went to work after Neville's birth. He, like Harry, was one year old when Tom Riddle Jr made his big mistake. Both Alice and Frank were pursuing Death Eaters still on the loose after the big mistake when they were driven insane via the cruciatus curse.
I was rereading book six tonight, and Fleur mentions still working part-time at Gringott's, where she had met Bill. I had thought Amelia Bones was Susan Bones' (Hufflepuff in Harry's year) mother, but it turns out she was an aunt. Unfortunately I could not find what I was looking for; a laundry list of students discovering their relatives were missing/dead, and why it was suspected they were targeted.
You brought up something I noticed and have been pondering since I saw the first rant. It is true that none of the female faculty/staff at Hogwarts seemed to have spouses or children. The thing is, neither did any of the males. I'm trying to figure out if they had to be single in order to teach in the boarding school (with faculty on-grounds at all times) setting or if Ms. Rowling just left out any reference to spouses and children just to keep things simple.
A lot of women are mentioned as working at the ministry with no mention (that I can remember) of family. In fact, except for Barty Crouch and Arthur Weasley, I don't remember any mention of any family on the part of ministry workers in the first six books. I certainly hope Umbridge never spawned.
I believe Hermione says her parents are both dentists, not that her mother is a hygienist. Not that hygienists are not excellent, highly-trained people, but as far as I can tell her mom has the British equivalent of a DDS.
It seems that not much was said any which way, which goes back to my original statement: it's truly sad that even in this day in age, it is assumed that the absence of explicit statements to the contrary are interpreted as proof that the women have embarked upon a set path.
On side note, we are from the older generation now. I wonder how children reading the books these days interpret the whole thing? It may be that they don't see it the way we do; perhaps they are not as sensitized to the absence of direct reference as we are. I'll need to ask my cousin next time I see her, but as her mother is a dentist (and they go by Dr. and Mr. <name>, just for reference), she may read things into it that others wouldn't, especially since her mom shares a profession with Hermione's mum.