Femininity In The 1950s Essay

Traveling through time to the Victorian Age, women led a horrible life as the subservient race to men, and did the twenty-first century changed that? Human beings have evolved over time and so have our perceptions of each other. The nineteenth century gender stereotypes cast upon the genders can often contrast the ideals the twenty-first century holds. Contrasting centuries may have similar pressures but are completely different when it comes to the needs and laws on the males and females of that time period, and it especially shows a drastic difference between the nineteenth and twenty-first century who have proven that time can bring beneficial changes.

Television sitcoms of the 1950’s through the 1990’s showed women’s role in the American workforce by reinforcing common gender stereotypes. Since television sets became mainstream and entered almost every American home, the content of American sitcoms has reflected the culture of the times. Thus, as the popular American sitcoms of the 1950’s suggest, women living in the 1950’s had very little economic opportunity and almost no role in the American workforce outside of the home. In the sixties, women acquired more access in the workforce with the 1963 Equal Pay Act and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In the seventies, women continued to fight for equal pay to their male counterparts. In modern day, women are equal to men and feminism is decreasing. Four sitcoms, The Stu Erwin

People often yearn for a simpler time. Back when everyone did not have smartphones, tablets, and laptops to keep them occupied at all hours of the day.While the earlier decades like the 1950’s may seem glamorous on television shows like “Mad Men” and “I Love Lucy,” not everyone can agree that it was easiest time to live in. Particularly for women. The idea that women should live for her husband and family became a dominant idea. Advertisements were especially misogynistic in the 1950’s.

In the 1950’s, the role of women around this time was to do what society placed on them to do what they were expected to do. Around this time, women revel to have freedom to do what they want to do and be. They rebelled because they were being judged because they were females. According to Juliet Gardiner’s article, she say’s “Women might have had the vote on the same terms as men since 1929, but for most that was pretty well the limit of their equality: working women were paid much less than men and despite the responsibilities and sheer hard graft many had endured in wartime, were still regarded as submissive and inferior beings. Educational opportunities were limited” (paragraph 3) many reasons why women rebel to have same equality as men.

American women’s roles greatly expanded during the 1940s when the United States entered World War II. The media and the government’s campaign urged women into the workforce as part of their war effort and patriotic duties, because workers were needed to make weapons and supplies for the war since the men were away fighting. More than six million women entered the workforce, and the majority worked in the industrial sectors in mills, factories, shipyards, and lumberyards. However, once the war ended and the America postwar years began, women’s jobs were given back to men and they were encouraged to go back home or find female occupations. The 1950’s was a time where the cult of domesticity became dominant in the United States during the twentieth century. This decade was the height of the baby boom years and women were expected to stay at home as housewives and mothers. These changing expectations were reflected in the media such as television shows, magazines, and advertisements, cookbooks, and books which helped shape and encouraged women to become housewives in the 1950’s.

George Guilder, author of the 1986 article “Women in the Work Force”,” writes about the growing number of women in the workforce. Women are now seeking work in fields dominated by men (Guilder). My grandma Sharon worked at Black & Decker, a company known for manufacturing household appliances. Before that, she worked at Chardon Rubber making rubber items. These jobs were typically done by men, but she stepped up to the challenge. Every passing year brings radical change to the traditional gender roles that American families thrive on (Guilder). Sharon was an example for her family. Her kids could see what a hard worker she was. “The future apparently promises yet more blurring of traditional sex roles in the workforce” (Guilder). My grandma worked a “man’s job,” challenging what people thought women

Back in the 1950s, femininity meant one word: woman. If you were feminine, you were a woman. If you were a man with feminine characteristics, you were a homosexual. In the 1950s women were referred to as “Housewives”. Within that one role their job was to wash clothes, wash dishes, take care of the children, cook, and tend to their hard working husbands. Women had no wants, no education, and no voice. Women were known as gentle little creatures.

Characters are used in non-realistic formats to explore culture convention. Character roles extend gender to hypothetical alien species and robots. During the 1930’s women were represented as a fantasy character as a reproductive demon or supporter of men. Fantasy has an element of fulfillment, helping readers feel more comfortable and grounded in the reading. The New Wave Era also known as the Golden Age and most important and influential period of women becoming the beginning of feminist theory. Female characters became equal to or superior to men, making women lawyers and politicians. In the modern years of science fiction it is seen as men are the cause of war and equality can only be achieved by humanity together.

The dawn of the twentieth century witnessed changes in almost every aspect of women’s lives of from the domestic realm to the public, especially during post-war America between the years of 1945-1960. Throughout history, women’s lives were limited to bearing and raising children, they were left oppressed and without a voice. Roles of women have changed over the decades and they have gone from being the property of their husbands to achieving independence in all areas of American culture.

Part of these strict rules was the idea of conformity. Each woman was expected to follow the rules of society, stick to the fashion trends, and keep their forms. And while this was a large part of society, it was not the only part. World War II was over, and even with the soldiers coming home and taking back their jobs, women still made up a third of the workforce. Cars were becoming more popular as well, giving a quiet space for couples to spend time together and have premarital intimate relationships, also providing the the new norms of the 60’s and the Baby Boom. The ideal of a woman staying at home to care for her family came from the Cold War, as well. Women were expected to be a strong support of their family, and to promote the idea of consumerism by buying more and exchanging their own goods for others. Movies and TV shows portrayed this type of woman, from Leave it to Beaver to I Love Lucy. To this end, the 50’s can be described as a feminist ‘dark

Gender roles have changed immensely in the United States throughout the last century, especially within society. Men and women were viewed differently back in the 1900s as two separate genders and having two separate roles to live by as compared to men and women in the 21st century. Women in the early 1900s were expected to stay home to cater for her husband’s needs while they went to work, or in most homes, were away to serve at war. Men had all the privileges women could not have or do. Women did not have the right to vote, limited rights to property and divorce; it was as if men and women were living segregated lives as black and white people lived.

Women one hundred years ago were drastically different than women today in many aspects of their lives. Soon after the turn of the 20th century, a surge in women’s independence surfaced. This was largely due to the fact that women were urged by Rosie the Riveter and other propaganda to replace men in factory jobs to support the war effort and provide income for their families. Women’s lifestyles changed from then on, including their hairstyles, clothing, and overall personalities.

In today 's society when we assess the differences between men and women they appear to be fairly similar. When we compare women 's rights and equalities to the 1900 's it 's clear to see we have made great strives. During the 1900 's women were treated as inferiors when compared to men and they were struggling to fight for their basic rights. During this time women were highly encouraged to marry at a young age and if they chose to go into the work force their options were limited to domestic jobs such as becoming a secretary, teacher or salesclerk. ("The Changing Role”, 2014). The 1920 's are referred to as "The Roaring Twenties” or the "The Jazz Age” and during this time an author by the name of Anita Loos produced the novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. This novel is told from a first person perspective and uses a theme of satire to expose the absurdities of men 's views of women during the 1900 's.

“The 1950’s is often viewed as a period of conformity, when both men and women observed strict gender roles and complied

Since the beginning of time, there has been a clear-cut distinction between the two sexes, male and female. It wasn’t until the mid-40s that this all started to change for the better. World War II, which closely followed the Depression, marked a turning point in the distribution of economic roles between women and men, although it did not necessarily cause the massive changes that were to follow. Women were attracted to war-related industries and they were given access to the more skilled, higher-paying jobs usually held by men. However, after the war was won in 1945, the labor force did not quickly “return to normal.” Instead, a new sense of what is normal emerged. (Powell & Graves, 2003). During this time, it was not unheard of for women to do housework and take on men’s duties. Women were known to be versatile and adapted well to changing roles. Women were taking hold and embracing the change that was to come.