Gender Expectations Of Women In The Twentieth Century

Although the youth of the late twentieth century were eager to evolve toward a progressive definition of gender and equality of the sexes, the authoritative figures and later generations regulated, and defined gender expectations. Social institutions, government parties and the general population all played a role in enforcing these gender expectations publically, and socially, thus pressuring the transformative generation to conform. With these strict gender boundaries enforced it confined women to certain spaces and men to other thereby enforcing the separation of the sexes. The distinct responsibilities and expectancies of men and women also helped keep the two sexes separate, by encouraging girls to practice domesticity, typically by practicing

This progression was unfortunately met by the confined, strict, regulations and surveillance of women by not only parents but universities, communities, government parties and more. The older generations preceding this generation, were reared under traditional values and morals, upholding the strict divide between men and women. Women were then regarded as docile, depended people, with an obligation to care and provide domesticity to the population. This was done in many forms, restricting female privileges, surveying behavior and monitoring interactions such as dates, courtships and other gatherings. We see these same practices adopted by the adult generations of the twentieth century, carrying over from their experience as an adolescent. In universities girls were expected to adhere to different protocols and procedures, than boys, allowing them less autonomy and exploration. Girls here had strict hours to observe, especially at night, enforcing an early curfew and requiring escorts home from functions. While both men and women had had house councils to oversee residence function and order the matter taken care by the girls of the residences was impressive and orderly, displaying their eagerness for progression and self-regulation. These councils planned events, organized movements and

The pageants held by Canadian political parties reflected the standards and expectations the Canadian government held for its women, mirroring the traditional conservative ethology of a women in the kitchen and a man as the breadwinner. In the mid twentieth century, a moral panic had consumed the population with men now away at war, women had begun taking up the spots left empty in the workforce. The population now feared that women would now want to participate in the workforce permanently becoming too much like men, or even engaging in homosexuality. The beauty pageants here observe this moral panic that had consumed the public, by the judges putting heavy emphasis on the docile nature or women and their ability to fulfill domestic and caregiver abilities it enforced the traditional ideology of a woman’s place in society. While the expectations of women were clear, and presented to the population via the pageant, the women involved in the pageant did not see their effort as a means to raise more money and provide a spectacle for men to observe. The women here saw these pageants as an opportunity to converse the societal issues faced at the time, raising awareness for their own movements and beliefs, a pageant in 1945 even held