Incest and Resistance: Patterns of Father-Daughter Incest, 1880-1930

Abstract

Incest as a form of family violence appeared in 10 percent of case records of Boston child-protection agencies between 1880 and 1930. These were overwhelmingly (98 percent) cases of father-daughter incest, and they shared a common pattern: the family relations made the girl victims into second wives, taking over many of the roles and functions of mothers, including housework, child care, and sexual relations with their father. Despite their apparent obedience and acquiescence in their incestuous families, many of these girls actively sought escape from the family, loitering on the streets where a powerful neighborhood peer culture and their low self-esteem made them easily exploitable. This sex-delinquent behavior was a form of resistance to, even rebellion against, the canons of feminine acquiescence and domesticity which had allowed them to be victimized in the first place.