Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Role of women in the 1950s
Role of women in the 1950s
Role of women in the 1950s
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The 50s is considered in many ways as a period of conformity with traditional gender roles. Both men and women were required to fulfill these roles and meet society’s expectations. One example in the movie is the number of slots in schools for women is extremely small. The students are not given many opportunities to have a career. Joan Branwyn, another bright student in Wellesley College, during a conversation with Prof. Katherine, mentioned that Yale has only five spots for women. According to Tavaana’s website, the deans from these programs like law and medical school intentionally tried to keep women out whenever they had the opportunity. “As a result, in 1960, women accounted for six percent of American doctors, three percent of lawyers, and less than one percent of engineers; and 38 percent of American women who worked in 1960 were largely limited to jobs as a teacher, nurse, or …show more content…
You may all be here for an easy A but the grade that matters the most is the one he gives you, not me.” Women are not supposed to expect anything from life but being someone’s keeper – either their husband’s or her children’. According to 1960 Culture website, “the world of American women was very limited in almost every aspect, from family life to the workplace; being expected to follow only one path: to marry in her early 20s, start a family quickly, and devote her life to homemaking.” Another example that shows how gender roles were much reinforced is when Betty Jones writes an article about Katherine’s teaching methods and lifestyle. She writes, “(…) it is our duty- nay, obligation to reclaim our place in the home, bearing the children that will carry our traditions into the future. Miss Katherine Watson (…) has decided to declare war on the holy sacrament of
A main theme in this small town’s culture is the issue of gender and the division of roles between the two. Not uncommon for the 1950’s, many women were taught from a young age to find a good man, who could provide for them and a family, settle down and have children – the ideal “happy family.” As Harry states after singing the showstopper “Kids,” “I have the All-American family: A great wife, 2 wonderful kids and a good job.”
For over centuries, society had established the societal standard of the women. This societal standard pictured the ideal American woman running the household and taking care of the children while her husband provided for the family. However, between 1770 and 1860, this societal standard began to tear at the seams. Throughout this time period, women began to search for a new ideal of American womanhood by questioning and breaking the barriers society had placed upon them.
Like stated earlier, gender roles in the 50’s were very strict and narrow-minded. That being said, women were extremely limited in their role in society. First of all, women were expected to be homemakers. By homemaker, I mean the women w...
To understand the significant changes within the role of women, it’s important to look at the position women held in society prior to World War II. In a famously quoted ruling by the United States Supreme Court in a case denying a woman’s right to practice law, the following excerpt penned by the Honorable Joseph P. Bradley in 1873 sums up how women were perceived during that period of time by their male counterparts. Bradley declared, "The paramount destiny and mission of women are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother -- this is the law of the Creator" . While many women may agree that the role of wife and mother is a noble one, most would certainly not agree this position would define their destiny.
Kuttner also agrees, “a lot of ugly realities were concealed by “traditional values”; the legal and economic emancipation of women was long overdue, and the task now is to reconcile gender equality with the healthy raising of the next generation.” (124). Before the 1890s, females had no other options but to live with their parents before marriage and with their husband after marriage. They couldn’t work and if they did, their wages were way lower than men.
Due to the idealization of domesticity in media, there was a significantly stagnant period of time for women’s rights between 1945 and 1959. Women took over the roles for men in the workplace who were fighting abroad during the early 1940s, and a strong, feminist movement rose in the 1960s. However, in between these time periods, there was a time in which women returned to the home, focusing their attention to taking care of the children and waiting on their husband’s every need. This was perpetuated due to the increasing popularity of media’s involvement in the lives of housewives, such as the increasing sales of televisions and the increase in the number of sexist toys.
also managed to prove that they could do the jobs just as well as men
The 1950s was a time when American life seemed to be in an ideal model for what family should be. People were portrayed as being happy and content with their lives by the meadia. Women and children were seen as being kind and courteous to the other members of society while when the day ended they were all there to support the man of the house. All of this was just a mirage for what was happening under the surface in the minds of everyone during that time as seen through the women, children, and men of this time struggled to fit into the mold that society had made for them.
In 1953, a time when women's roles were rigidly defined, free-spirited, novice art history professor Katherine Watson inspired her arrogant, newly married college student Betty Warren to rebel from the belief that- success of a woman is measured by 'how well’ she marries. Watson believed that women should look beyond the roles that they are forced upon by society, since for the most part, the students all seem to be biding their time, waiting to find the right man to marry. “I thought that I was headed to a place that would turn out tomorrow's leaders, not their wives,” said Watson. Unfortunately, Betty’s marriage hits rock bottom when she finds out that her dear husband is a cheat. As a result, Watson encourage her to strive for a more enlightened future, Watson inspires Betty to look beyond the image of what is, and consider the possibilities of what could be--contrary to popular belief. This led Betty to file for divorce as she became fed up with trying to please her husband and unreasonable family, but herself. Like Watson, she wanted to live by her own terms that are free of unrealistic expectations, “My teacher, Katherine Watson lived by her own definition...I dedicate this my last editorial to an extraordinary woman who lived by an example and compelled us all to see the world through new eyes.” If it wasn’t for Watson, will Betty find the true courage within herself to look beyond-to be different; to be unique in a world full of mimics? Therefore, Katherine Watson’s incomparable character inspired Betty to seek for liberty from a patriarchal society that chains women’s individual freedom and
Women did not have an easy life during the American Colonial period. Before a woman reached 25 years of age, she was expected to be married with at least one child. Most, if not all, domestic tasks were performed by women, and most domestic goods and food were prepared and created by women. Women performed these tasks without having any legal acknowledgment. Although women had to endure many hardships, their legal and personal lives were becoming less restricted, although the change was occurring at a snail’s pace.
In her essay, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, Margaret Fuller discusses the state of marriage in America during the 1800‘s. She is a victim of her own knowledge, and is literally considered ugly because of her wisdom. She feels that if certain stereotypes can be broken down, women can have the respect of men intellectually, physically, and emotionally. She explains why some of the inequalities exist in marriages around her. Fuller feels that once women are accepted as equals, men and women will be able achieve a true love not yet known to the people of the world.
In early American history, society believed that women did not have a place in education and high-level learning. They were told not to bother their brains with such advanced thinking. Middle and upper class women learned to read and write, but their education ended there. A woman’s place was said to be in the home, cooking, sewing, and taking care of the children. In the case of upper class women, their “to-do” list was cut even shorter with the servants present to do the work.
There are various social norms which are illustrated in this film. It should be noted that the film depicts the environment of education system of women in the 1950s. During this period, it was believed that an ideal path for respected women in the society is by going through the education system. The education system prepared them for tending a house, marriage and raising a family. Notably, this was the aspiration of the young ladies who joined the Wellesley College. This is what the college prepared them for and was what their families expected of them. Katherine manages to inspire and challenge the young ladies to think beyond such social norms and conventions. Katherine argues that the general outlook of women in the community must be changed if at all women were to achieve better futures.
Welter, Barbara. "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860." The American Family in Social Historical Perspective. Ed. Michael Gordon. New York: St. Martin's P, 1978. 373-392.
In 1953, a time when women's roles were rigidly defined, free-spirited, art history professor Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) begins teaching her dream job at Wellesley College. Wellesley is an all-female campus with a prestigious reputation for academic excellence, however, despite its name it is an environment where success is measured by 'how well' the students marry. Katherine, who recently left her husband (first strike against the non-conformist), taught liberal views that were out of place in this conservative 50s college. Encouraging these women to strive for a more open-minded future, Watson challenges the administration and inspires her students to look beyond the image of what is, and consider the possibilities of what could be. Besides butting heads with college administrators who object to progressive ideas, she also pushes the conservative students who firmly believe a woman's only role is to be a wife and mother.