Abstract

The values of thrift have shaped the cultural and economic history of the United States. This morality advocates the practice of industry, frugality, self-sacrifice, and the accumulation of savings as a means of enriching the individual and society. From the 19^th century to the early 20^th century, American political economists preached these virtues. Jessica Peixotto (1864-1941), the first woman professor of economics at Berkeley, conducted a study of the cost of living of a group of university professors in 1927. She considered them an extremely thrifty but relatively poor social group. The purpose of this article is to explain this contradiction put forward by Peixotto. I examine how, in the early 20th century, the thrift culture took a practical turn with the Home Economics movement founded by Ellen H. Richards to educate women. Peixotto’s study shows that professors’ wives apply the precepts of thrift very well, making exemplary management of household resources. Thus, the problem lies in the low level of faculty salary. I argue that Peixotto shows an original point of view, linking thrift to poverty and thinking about the consequences of a thrifty ethos on the negotiation skills of university professors.

摘要

节俭的价值观塑造了美国的文化和经济历史。这种道德提倡勤奋、节俭、自我牺牲和积累储蓄，以此作为丰富个人和社会的手段。从19^{世纪到20世纪}初世纪以来，美国政治经济学家宣扬了这些美德。伯克利分校第一位女经济学教授杰西卡·佩肖托（Jessica Peixotto，1864-1941）于1927年对一群大学教授的生活成本进行了研究。她认为他们是一个极其节俭但相对贫困的社会群体。本文的目的就是解释佩肖托提出的这一矛盾。我研究了 20 世纪初，节俭文化如何随着艾伦·H·理查兹 (Ellen H. Richards) 发起的旨在教育女性的家政运动而发生实际转变。佩肖托的研究表明，教授的妻子们很好地践行了节俭的准则，对家庭资源的管理堪称典范。由此可见，问题就在于教师工资水平偏低。我认为 Peixotto 展示了一个原创的观点，