Martineau studied the social customs of Britain
and the United States, analyzing the consequences
of industrialization and capitalism. In Society in
America (1962/1837), she examined religion, politics,
child rearing, slavery, and immigration in the
United States, paying special attention to social
distinctions based on class, race, and gender. Her
works explore the status of women, children, and
“suff erers” (persons who are considered to be criminal,
mentally ill, handicapped, poor, or alcoholic).
Martineau advocated racial and gender equality.
She was also committed to creating a science of
society that would be grounded in empirical observations
and widely accessible to people. She argued
that sociologists should be impartial in their assessment
of society but that it is entirely appropriate to
compare the existing state of society with the principles
on which it was founded (Lengermann and
Niebrugge-Brantley, 1998). Martineau believed that
a better society would emerge if women and men
were treated equally, enlightened reform occurred,
and cooperation existed among people in all social
classes (but led by the middle class).