ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the home and the activities that take place within it have been viewed as a private affair; it is the cornerstone of the private sphere, secondary and separate to the mainstream world of work and politics (see Chapters 1, 2, 5 and 11). The home is identified, then, as a place of respite and retreat, its territory being the locus of childhood, family and marriage. The differentiation between the 'public' and the 'private' helps to highlight other dualisms: the political and the personal, work and leisure, male and female. According to Allan and Crow (1989) the private sphere has traditionally been characterised by three features: privacy; security, control and freedom; and creativity and expression. The home as the arena of privacy, in particular, has pervaded social as well as political thinking. Holme's (1985) study of Housing and Young Families in East London suggested that people sought privacy over all else, for 'somewhere to be on their own' (cited in Allan and Crow 1989: 3). Being in a private space is a central part of being 'at home' and is viewed as a valuable and important feature of family life. Privacy acts as a shield against public scrutiny, and is generally believed to be important for the maintenance of private dignity and intimacy. However, to be private can signify deprivation as well as advantage. For women in the home, privacy can mean confinement, captivity and isolation. In such circumstances the home is less of a castle, and more of a cage (Oakley 1974a; M. Roberts 1991; Darke 1996; Wekerle et al. 1980).
