As noted earlier, the work of the women in the CWSS were rooted in various social theories. Jane Addam's based much of her thought of social reform on her theory of social justice, explained as: "the understanding of the individual as embodied, agentic, self-interested, sociable, and ethical (Lengermann & Niebrugge, 1998: 242). From this theory, we can see how the women involved in social reform, at both the state and national level, were empowered by this positive view of the self in society. In addition to this theory, the CWSS also borrowed heavily from the ideas of Marxist socialism. This, in part, came from the influence of Florence Kelley, who had studied socialism at the University of Zurich. What a majority of women believed was: "economic class position as the main variable explaining the human misery they saw around them, unfettered capitalist greed as the primary cause of misery" (Lengermann & Niebrugge, 1998, pg. 242). This provided the foundation of their work done in social reform. In addition, the work of the CWSS in Chicago was embraced by many in society, as the CWSS continued to organize systems to help the poor. But socialist thought was also scorned in the United States. Oftentimes, this opposition created barriers for the women involved in legislation to help disadvantaged groups.

The CWSS were not simply a group of social reformers, but a community of social scientists insistent on providing empirical evidence to demonstrate and support their theories concerning societal stress. Their methods were wide, running the spectrum of techniques: from surveys, interviews, and field observation to analysis of court records, voting records, and census data (Lengermann & Niebrugge, 1998). The result of these practices was that: "The Chicago Women's School of Sociology created many of the methodological and data-gathering strategies that would by the 1930's become criteria--- of male professionalized sociology" (Lengermann & Niebrugge, 1998: 253). In addition, the collective work of these women in social reform later influenced a majority of the policy included in the New Deal.

During the early years of the CWSS's work, the first psychology laboratories were being set up around the United States. In fact, the University of Chicago set up laboratories in 1893, under the direction of Charles Augustus Strong. An overwhelming amount of these laboratories were run by men, who clearly favored the presence of male scholars over women scholars. If one considers these conditions, the significance of the CWSS's contributions to social theory and reform are impressive, even if the individuals who contributed to its body are virtually unknown. It has been proposed: "when the vocational realities of women's lives are either ignored or classified as exceptional, they are not able to function as models for the next generations" (Stebner, 1997: 144). Although many do not know of the CWSS's monumental contributions to government policy and social reform, they are nonetheless living in a society of ideas and institutions patterned after their theory.

Works Cited

• Lengermann, P. & Niebrugge-Brantley, J. (1998). The women founders: sociology and social theory. The McGraw Hill Companies.

• Stebner, E. (1997). The women of Hull House: A study in spirituality, vocation, and friendship. State University of New York Press.

Links

• Jane Addams Hull-House Museum Home Page