What was the difference between girls and boys in 1930 Alabama?

Answer 1

In the 1030's in Alabama, most little girls were expected to help with household chores from an early age. Little girls were expected to wash dishes at age 5, gather eggs at 4, help tend to younger siblings, and of course go to school at 6. Learning to cook and clean was simply part of "play" and no one ever thought any differently about the roles of girls and boys. Boys were expected to help with the garden at four and five, attend the needs of the family livestock, and of course go to school also at age 6. They were expected to be honest, reasonably clean, and it was a matter of course that the whole family went to church on Sunday. Traditional roles of boys and girls were very much in force during that time. Chores were gender appropriate and play was also along gender lines. Little girls played house outside and little boys played cowboys and Indians. Reading was encouraged among young people and it was not uncommon to see books being passed around among the young. There was no television at the time, but radio was a family pass time. Sitting around in the evening listening to the radio was the equivalent of today's television viewing. Surprisingly, children were expected to be in bed about 7:30. They usually slept dormatory style as most families had more than two children. The average family size was five children.