The City and the Self. The Case of Girls' Protection in the Netherlands around 1900

Abstract

This article examines the influence of perceptions of cities as dangerous environments for girls in the process of social construction of gender identity. The focus is on the history of pedagogical interventions aimed at working girls. The first part of the article concentrates on local committees, which originated in larger Dutch cities in the 1840s in order to guide and protect girls from falling into prostitution. In the second part the women's organisations aimed at girls' protection are discussed. Through the theoretical concept of caring power, the educational activities, which resulted from the work of both the committees and the organisations for girls' protection, are placed in the context of social construction of a new gender identity. In addition, educational activities for working youngsters, both school and youth care facilities, which in the Netherlands existed into the 1970s, are seen in the tradition of fears and concerns about prostitution.