Loading...
Mothers Little Helper' to 'Crack Moms': Public Perception of Women’s Drug Abuse from 1950 to 1990
Bland, Caroline
Bland, Caroline
Citations
Altmetric:
Genre
Research project
Date
2025
Advisor
Committee member
Group
Department
History
Permanent link to this record
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
DOI
https://doi.org/10.34944/d4rg-9369
Abstract
From colonial usage of opium to cocaine in Coca-Cola, mood-altering drugs have played a significant role in American history. Although substance abuse disorders have remained a consistent aspect of American society, the perception of people suffering from addiction has changed over time. For women, this change in perception has been drastic and intrinsically linked to race, class, and the progress of women’s rights. Prescription drug abuse among wealthy, white women in the 1950’s reflected womens adherence to the patriarchy, though opposition from second-wave feminists shifted society’s view of female drug-users to empathetic. However, the limited support for women of color in second-wave feminism resulted in the perception of low-income, non-white women during the crack epidemic of the late 1980’s-1990’s as “crack mothers”, a full reversal from the clean image of the 1950’s housewife. Though women were the primarily affected group of both the Valium panic and the crack epidemic, the intersection of gender and race informed the media's portrayal and government response. Both wealthy white women and impoverished minority women were victims of societal control– pharmaceutical
industry practices, racial targeting by law enforcement, coercive sterilization– and drugs were used as devices by their oppressors.
Description
Citation
Citation to related work
Has part
ADA compliance
For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation, including help with reading this content, please contact scholarshare@temple.edu