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Explain the role of women in 1950s American society
Explain the role of women in 1950s American society
Women's roles in the 1950s
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Women’s role in society during the 1950s is altogether different from their role in society today. The role of women then was restricted and minted. Women were presumed to perfect certain roles. Such roles include being a caring mother, hard-working housewife and compliant wife. This perfection was not an individual’s personal goal but was done to meet and exceed society’s standards. Raising the upcoming generation was significant at this time which made woman work hard to “fill the oversized shoes prepared for them” (Coob, 2005, para. 11). A prime example of a woman who endured this would be Sylvia Plath/ Esther Greenwood. Esther’s sense of indifference from the world around her derived from presumptions that had been piling up on her as a
young woman living during this time. “All my life I’d told myself studying and reading and writing and working like mad was what I wanted to do…” (Plath, 1971, p.18). Esther feels pulled between her dreams of being a writer and the pressure she feels to settle down and start a family. It was common for women her age to be settling down with a man, getting married and having a baby. Although this was typical for other women to be doing at this time, it was not what Esther envisioned herself doing.
With the beginnings of the cold war the media and propaganda machine was instrumental in the idea of the nuclear family and how that made America and democracy superior to the “evils” of the Soviet Union and Communism; with this in mind the main goal of the 50’s women was to get married. The women of the time were becoming wives in their late teens and early twenties. Even if a women went to college it was assumed that she was there to meet her future husband. Generally a woman’s economic survival was dependent on men and employment opportunities were minimal.
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...
In the 1920's women's roles were soon starting to change. After World War One it was called the "Jazz Age", known for new music and dancing styles. It was also known as the "Golden Twenties" or "Roaring Twenties" and everyone seemed to have money. Both single and married women we earning higher- paying jobs. Women were much more than just staying home with their kids and doing house work. They become independent both financially and literally. Women also earned the right to vote in 1920 after the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted. They worked hard for the same or greater equality as men and while all this was going on they also brought out a new style known as the flapper. All this brought them much much closer to their goal.
There was the desire to be a Liberated Woman and there was also, during this time, the women's liberation movement. The whole time leading up to the women's liberation movement in the late 60's, it became evident that a change in the lives of women would be necessary. The Civil Rights movement was taking place as well as other social movements. Women began to realize that although they were t...
The social perception of women has drastically changed since the 1950’s. The social role of women during the 1950’s was restrictive and repressed in many ways. Society during that time placed high importance on expectations of behavior in the way women conducted themselves in home life as well as in public. At home the wife was tasked with the role of being an obedient wife, caring mother, and homemaker. Women publicly were expected to form groups and bond over tea with a slice of cake. All the while government was pushing this idealize roll for women in a society “dominated” by men. However, during this time a percentage of women were finding their way into the work force of men. “Women were searching their places in a society led by 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.
In the 1940’s, the United Nation Conference came together to resolve issues, in reference to women to establish a commitment at treating men; and women the same in an ecumenical way. From the 1940’s to the 1970’s many different conferences were held to overcome these issues regarding the gender roles of these women compared to those of men. “Under the banner of “equality, development and peace”, each conference assessed the programs of commitments made by various nations on behalf of women; along the side of the (NGO) that funded non-profit organization and spoke on behalf of the poor from all walks of life” (Lindsey, 2011, pg. 137). These people are designed to affiliate on the process of diversity issues, to which they presented to these organizations on the importance of women in a changing world; which are “politics, religion, ethnicity, and economics” (Lindsey, pg.
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.
Gender roles and stereotypes have always existed, as one gender is always expected to do something. Gender roles and stereotypes has had a huge change since the 1950’s. Now some male’s stay at home and help the family out. Females are going out and getting jobs providing for the family. With all this changing divorce rates are also getting higher. These three changes are the biggest changes that has happened with gender roles and stereotype since the 1950’s.
In the 1960’s women were still seen as trophies and were beginning to be accepted into the work industry. They were still homemakers, raised the family, and made sure their husbands were happy. That was the social norms for women during that time period. They were not held to high work expectations like men were. But something amazing happened that would change women 's lives for centuries; it was the 1970’s. The 60’s put the equality movement in motion but 70’s was a time of reform where women were finally able to control their own paths. Not only was the 70’s a historical marker for the fiftieth anniversary for women suffrage, it was also a marker for the drastic change of different social norms, the changes of the American Dream, and the
In the 1950s, the stereotypical female was expected to fill a role that was awfully repressive and constrictive. Many standards were placed on women
Life for women in the 1950’s wasn’t an easy one. They made lower wages, had little role in society, and were mainly expected to cook, clean, and maintain the wellbeing of their families. This is emphasized in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. This novel focuses on the struggles of a young woman, and the ways in which the world does not give many options to women.
Back in the 1960s, women were held down in many different areas but the lack of career options available and just being expected to raise a family was the biggest form of women being oppressed to me. Life was great but it always felt like women were just there to have children and cook. That has clearly changed thankfully since when I was a young woman. In the early 1960s women had very few jobs available to them, if any. Jobs were fairly limited to being a secretary, nurse, teacher, or a homemaker. Many ads were directed to woman staying at home and being in the kitchen, they didn't recognize the fact that some women were pursuing a career because it was pretty unheard of still. Even in the workplace there was not a lot of respect towards
Women from the 20th century were viewed and treated differently than women of today. Facing hardships that in today’s society have improved over time, and less of a major case/deal. During that time period women were not looked as women as today are looked at; in the other hand all of these indecisive decisions lead up to a groundbreaking era. However, before they reached to that level, women struggle to live in society going through different areas such as politics, women’s rights, and roles. All of these areas impacted before and after the movement, that revolutionized how women ended up being treated. Also, all three points tie together in where all women struggled and mistreated. Leading to different accusations towards women, like Margaret Hossack; murdering her husband. Therefore, exploring numerous areas to explain past historical events.