Scholars often locate the origins of maternalism in the work of Progressive-era feminists, generally more privileged white women, who sought to extend the values associated with motherhood beyond the home and into social and political arenas. Early reformers looked to discourses of maternalism to promote politics that supported women and children. This form of maternalism emphasized gender differences and it was through these differences that women entered the political sphere. Maternalism is also sometimes used to describe the work of women in civic and philanthropic organizations. At a time when their political participation was limited, philanthropic organizations provided women, particularly white, upper-class women, with an outlet for participation in wider society. This charity work provided women a limited amount of public influence while also providing much needed services for low-income women and children. One of the most important areas of examination for feminist historians has been the ways in which the development of the welfare state and policies of public aid and assistance have been highly gendered. Early maternalist activists played an important role in the early construction of the welfare state by emphasizing child and maternal welfare in particular.