Domesticism And Domesticization In Elaine Tyler May's Homeward Bound

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Elaine Tyler May’s Homeward Bound addresses two ideologies that ran rampant during the 50s, just after the conclusion of World War II. These Ideologies were anti- communism and suburban domesticity, both of which were sought to be resolved by the Americans through marriage and parenthood in a suitable and stable household. May discovers that domestic revival was key in addressing the ‘cold war ideology’; her book seeks to discover why post war Americans looked unto household stability as a means of solving the threat of communism at the time. It was, as she describes; “postwar Americans' intense need to feel liberated from the past and secure in the future."
She believes that “Domestic containment” originated from the 30s and 40s, where people started to view the family structure in two different ways, “one with two breadwinners who shared tasks and the other with spouses whose roles were sharply differentiated." Society at the time chose the latter. Things like new deal programs aimed to improve employment opportunities for men. The American dream was at this time available to whit...

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