Women's Role Of Women And Gender Roles In The 1950s

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After the Depression and World War II was a time of peace and happiness in the 1950s. Families moved to suburbs, fostered a baby boom, and forged a happy life of family togetherness. During this time, gender roles thrived and everyone had to play their part in society. The typical woman had to stay home and watch over the children, while the men had to go work to support his family. Although this was the typical American way of living during this time, women should have gotten more freedom and power in the house and outside.
After the war ended, soldiers returned home and were given the G.I. Bill. This bill enabled these veterans to pursue higher education and buy themselves a home. These men were free to marry and start their own families immediately. As a result, the families of this time were typically bigger; the wife was found at home, full-time, taking care of her children while the husband was out pursuing a career and supporting his family. The husband was also the “man of the house,” in which made all the decision making. The wife and children had no other choice but to obey. This showed that the men during this time played the dominate role in society.
Nearly a decade prior to the 1950s, millions of women entered the work force due to the shortage of men out in the war. These industry jobs provided the women with good pay but by the time the men returned from the war, it shifted back to a male-dominated workforce. The men outnumbered the women in the workplace five to two. It was seen as a huge digression on the feminist movement. After the war, things started settling down and while the women had to leave their part during the war, women were then considered to be the household caregivers. They were ...

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...Being a woman in the 1950-1960s, in-general, was harsh. Many of the women were treated unfairly to the men. The men of this time were superior to the women. The husband was the “man of the house” and all rules abide by him and only him. The women were just “helping” out the man by taking care of the house while he was gone away for work, taking care of the children, and having the house spotless by the time he gets home from work. Women of this period had little to no freedom. They couldn’t do anything on their own because either the husband didn’t allow it or because they couldn’t support themselves without a man in their life. Life in the 1950s are very different from the life of present day. Now, women have freedom to do whatever they want to. Women choose their own destiny and there is no one that can hold them back from living the life that they want.

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