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NORFOLK WOMEN'S ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
JEAN E. FRIEDMAN,
COORDINATOR
INTERVIEW 13
Experiences of an elite 68-year-old white Lutheran woman of Norfolk. Including sexual history and other information regarding sex roles, the 15-minuteinterview focuses almost exclusively on the 1930's.
Interviewer: Marilyn Melchor
Transcribed: 8 October 1984
ODU Archives
Interviewer:
How old are you now?
Interviewer: How old were you when you were married? Now we're talking about the 1930's.
Interviewer: We want to talk about the Depression years. This was your second marriage.
Interviewer: That was your second marriage then? In the thirties?
Interviewer: That's the year I wanted -- 1932. We'll talk about the second marriage then because I want the Depression years. Were you ever employed outside the home?
Interviewer: Well good. What years were you employed? Do you remember?
Interviewer: It's been since the Depression that you were employed. We won't talk about that then because we're only concerned with the thirties. Did you graduate from high school?
Interviewer: What did your father do in the 1930's?
Interviewer: And you mother?
Interviewer: Now, you just said you were married in 1932. What religious affiliation do you have?
Interviewer: Where did you live in the 1930's? What part of Norfolk?
Interviewer: And your present location?
Interviewer: What did you do about reading materials? Did you read a lot?
Interviewer: Mainly novels, magazines?
Interviewer: OK. Did you go to movies a lot?
Interviewer: How frequently?
Interviewer: Wow. That's a lot.
Interviewer: What kind of clubs did you belong to?
Interviewer: Any social organizations like a bridge club?
Interviewer: Just that one? How often did it meet?
Interviewer: Did you belong to any civic organization like the League of Women Voters?
Interviewer: I guess this applies here. Did you husband help you with the children?
Interviewer: With the child. One child. Did he help you with the housework?
Interviewer: Did you have outside help with housework?
Interviewer: How often?
Interviewer: Did you remember how much you paid for the maid?
Interviewer: Mm-hmm.
Interviewer: And what was that for, a six-day week?
Interviewer: Who budgeted the family money and how did you budget it?
Interviewer: You lived on a budget?
Interviewer: Was there any conflict about this?
Interviewer: Do you remember what your income was in 1930? Say you were married in 1932 - do you remember what your income was the first year you were married?
Interviewer: Yes.
Interviewer: If your income went up during the thirties--
Interviewer: OK. That changes that. Did it go down?
Interviewer: Did you have a car in the 1930's?
Interviewer: Your very own or did you and your husband share one?
Interviewer: Have you ever been pregnant?
Interviewer: How many times?
Interviewer: Did you do anything to prevent pregnancy?
Interviewer: Do you want to say what you did? What you used?
Interviewer: Did it work?
Interviewer: Did you and your husband have any function about this?
Interviewer: Did you wish to have more children than you had?
Interviewer: You only wanted one?
Interviewer: How about your husband? Did he agree with you on this?
Interviewer: During your dating years were you familiar with contraceptive techniques?
Interviewer: Did your mother or father encourage you to have a career?
Interviewer: Did they encourage you to get married?
Interviewer: Did either one of them give you advice about dating?
Interviewer: Did you go to church regularly?
Interviewer: Weekly?
Interviewer: Did you receive any instruction about sex from either parent?
Interviewer: Were you considered a tomboy when you were young?
Interviewer: Was your father removed from the family by the fact that he traveled with his business or anything like that?
Interviewer: How would you describe your relationship with your father?
Interviewer: And your mother?
Interviewer: Were you involved in any lobbying efforts as childcare or labor hours for children?
Interviewer: Did you feel that women ought to work?
Interviewer: Now in the thirties, this is what we are talking about again. Did you feel then that most marriages were failures or successes?
Interviewer: Did you vote regularly?
Interviewer: You did not?
Interviewer: Do you now?
Interviewer: What changed that?
Interviewer: Did you have premarital intercourse?
Interviewer: Did you feel like that was the norm then? Like did most of your friends not have it?
Interviewer: Did you feel it was immoral or you were raised to think you didn't do it?
Interviewer: It was wrong. Would you describe a typical date? Where you went and what you did? Now this would be the early thirties.
Interviewer: About what time would you get in you think?
Interviewer: Did you think it was okay for an engaged couple to have intercourse?
Interviewer: You didn't live together before you got married?
Interviewer: Have you ever had an abortion?
Interviewer: Do you have any friends that had one?
Interviewer: When did you first learn about menstruation?
Interviewer: Did you have any previous instruction before?
Interviewer: From whom?
Interviewer: Did you think then that abortion was a valid means of birth control?
Interviewer: And now.
Interviewer: Okay, you had one child in the thirties and a live-in maid. So, you had some leisure time.
Interviewer: What did you do with it?
Interviewer: How about family vacations.
Interviewer: And the child went to?
Interviewer: Thank you very much.
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