Gender Roles Of The House

After World War II, the nation was blooming. Everything was growing, people were going to college, and wealth grew. The idea of the perfect American life was developed, this included a husband that worked and a wife that stayed home and took care of the house and children. To look at how women are affected by this perfect life I am analyzing “Governor Adlai Stevenson Tells College Women about Their Place in Life, 1955” and “Good Housekeeping: Every Executive Needs a Perfect Wife, 1956”.

‘Women Are Household Slaves’ is written by Edith M. Stern for a magazine in 1949. Edith M. Stern is a college-educated writer living in Washington, D.C. Due to the assumption that women lived queenly lives of domestic bliss by most Americans, Stern use her writing to describe about household bondage which express the frustrations and the aspirations of many American women. Moreover, she wanted us to know how housewives are being treated in the reality, how heavy the duty of the housewives have. She had used a really interesting analogy of the role of the housewife to that of the president of a corporation who would not only determine policies and make over-all plan, but also spend the major part of his time and energy to in such activities as sweeping the plant and oiling machines as well.

Taking a look into the ways of her household solidified the fact that housewives were set apart from their counterparts because of their responsibilities. Their knack for multi-tasking and running a home efficiently was never held to very high standards. Now, with a look into these three women’s homes, it seems that everyone should take with them the notion that no matter the woman’s wealth or social status, her work in the home is pivotal to the success of her family.

Women for years have been automatically given the role of the domestic housewife, where their only job is to cook, clean, and take care of the children. Men have usually taken the primary responsibility for economic support and contact with the rest of society, while women have traditionally taken the role of providing love, nurturing, emotional support, and maintenance of the home. However, in today’s society women over the age of sixteen work outside of the home, and there are more single parent households that are headed by women than at any other time in the history of the United States (Thompson 301.)

So, with the struggle of the American dream at hand, the role of a female in America changed for the better. The new young American woman was no longer rushed to get married. “Between 1880 and 1930, a bachelor

Throughout the 1920s, marriage was thought of to be a symbol of love and happiness between a married couple. Along with that came the expectation of starting a family and a new chapter in the couple’s lives. Most marriages that took place were based on romance instead of just marrying just to get money, which was rarely seen. Gender roles had an impact when getting married and starting a family. Living in the 1920’s brought more positive, as well as negative, impacts when it came to restarting the economy. Gender roles in marriage decided who stayed at home to take care of the children along with house duties and who went to work to provide for the family. Throughout these times, gender roles either imposed by society or created within the home, have altered dynamics within the home and society.

Whether it is the past or the present, there have always been gender roles in society. In most homes, it is the woman’s responsibility to take care of the house. This includes cleaning, meal preparations, raising and taking care of the children as well as the husband. Compared to the men who take care of the more physical activities, such as yard work. It was known throughout many years that it was a woman’s responsibility to stay in the house while the man would go out and look for work to provide money for his family. Although the intensity of gender roles has changed, it still exists.

Domestic work and other types of work that is typically associated with women has always been undervalued and overlooked. Many types of work fall under the umbrella of domestic labor, such as: cooking, cleaning, mending, child care, running errands, managing the household, and much more. This type of work is highly undervalued and often ignored. Many of the works that we have looked at in this section highlight how many women felt about the domestic sphere that they were placed in. In this essay I will discuss this point using points from "The Yellow Wallpaper" and "Professions For Women". Both women commented on the domestic sphere for women and what that meant for them.

In the 1800’s, the women responsibilities were to maintain order in the house, protect and discipline the students. In the 21st century, now women are not just responsible for cleaning, cooking and discipling children, instead women can now work and impose some of those tasks on their husbands. In the story “Our Deportment, or the Manners, Conduct, and Dress of Refined Society”, as the home is considered the “woman’s kingdom” and that it is the women responsibility to “make the lives of her husband and the dear ones committed to her trust, is the honored task which it is the wife’s province” (Gutenberg 1), most of their time is spent in the home making sure the home is kept under control and ready to serve her husbands and children. In reference to the speech by Emma Watson, she states that “we need to end gender inequality” (Watson 1), which in the 21st century it is coming closer to reality. Women now don’t have to remain at home all day, they can now work just like men and provide for their families the same way men do.

The resilience of women and the hardship of men were prominent during this time. However, women were still deeply grounded in their home life (Bolin, 74). Particularly women from middle-income families were left with job of being able to balance work and home life (Bolin, 74). Being a caregiver and taking care of the domestic needs of the home was very important. During this time tradition values were deeply routed in the home. Women made sure not let their home life consume them because their may focus was being a good wife and mother. This is a trend that has made its way even in today’s society. “Even now lack of adequate day-care (necessitating private baby-sitting service), low paying jobs for women, and the growth of technologies that open the door to and “electronic cottage industry”, indicate that women’s home production is a mutable but perhaps permanent response to women’s economic and social inequality under capitalism” (Hollingsworth, & Tyyska). The oppression in the past is shown to have made and imprint on society even to this day. Even though

A house is not a home if no one lives there. During the nineteenth century, the same could be said about a woman concerning her role within both society and marriage. The ideology of the Cult of Domesticity, especially prevalent during the late 1800’s, emphasized the notion that a woman’s role falls within the domestic sphere and that females must act in submission to males. One of the expected jobs of a woman included bearing children, despite the fact that new mothers frequently experienced post-partum depression. If a woman were sterile, her purposefulness diminished. While the Cult of Domesticity intended to create obliging and competent wives, women frequently reported feeling trapped or imprisoned within the home and within societal

Before the war, women were bound to their homes. They were held to the “cult of domesticity” and were “hostage of the home” (Brown). Their primary job was to devote themselves to keeping a clean and comfortable

In House: “The Softer Side” there are many issues of gender representation. The episode revolves around; House, his team, their personal lives, and an intersex boy named Jackson. Both storylines display issues of gender equality and representation.

For example, she explains that our mother Danelis Lopez and her need to maintain the house clean, cook, and go to the supermarket. At the same time, our mom, Danelis works in a factory, and she needs to go to school and take care of our causing, Isabella. But, our father just work outside the house, and sleep all day. My brother Daniell have to carry bags from the supermarket, do the laundry, work at Mcdonalds and go to school. (Daniella, 2016). In other words, in this family most family members have more than one responsibilities, which tend to be difficult to them at the same time. Moreover, Daniella states because of the fact she is a girl she is not allowed to do particular things I do, such as dress the way I want and go out at nights. Daniella explains that she beliefs our father should help our mother because she is always tired. Most importantly, because our mother is already helping him paying some of the bills. (Daniella, 2016). Additionally, Daniella explains that this is a catholic family, but “we don't go to the church much.” she also argues “this family have been the same as long as I can remember”and All Family members have the same

As time has passed through the years, people’s views and opinions on certain details in life have changed, as well as the role taking of an individual has changed overtime. The roles between men and women have changed. Women have become more of an important figure in the household besides doing, laundry and chores, women in the late 1900’s began to make a finance for the house. As women make their additions to helping out with the payments, the relationships between husband and wives have changed. “In the early 2000’s the pressure to find a perfect partner is even stronger. Women earn their own money and no longer feel so dependent on men.”