During the 1950s, women’s identities slowly changed; there were positive adjustments for women and for the equality of the sexes, but some things continued to remain the same, which is portrayed in The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, and Mona Lisa Smile. The 1950s was the decade after World War II came to a close, so there was a want for stability but also change from many minority groups, such as women. In the war, women were given many responsibilities, some of which transferred over into the next decade, so they had more freedom and control over their lives. However, many limitations persisted into the 1950s. During this decade, women had some expanding independence, and many women used it to the fullest. At this time, more and more women …show more content…
Women were still expected to marry, even if they couldn’t work to do it. In Mona Lisa Smile, many girls went to college with the idea of getting married and not pursuing a career. Moreover, in The Bell Jar, Buddy Willard, Esther’s previous crush, stated, “You’re crazy” and “you’ll change your mind” when she told him she didn’t want to ever marry(page 104). Although they could get in education, women, especially of a higher class, were not likely to use it after marriage, which was necessary for women to be truly accepted in society, and could be “taken care of”. Not only that, but women were still held to a ridiculously higher standard than men in nearly every way besides their smartness and physical strength. In an article that Esther’s mother gave her, it said that before marriage a woman must “have a single pure life and a man being able to live a double life; one pure or not”(pg 90). The fact that women were expected to remain chaste before they were married while a man could do whatever he pleased demonstrates that, although they gained more power, women were held to unfair ideals by their society that held them captive from full freedom. Despite some minimal advances after the war, there was still a wide gap between women and men throughout the
During the 1950’s African Americans experienced inequality and discrimination. For these reasons Armstrong received many racist reviews in the newspapers, Armstrong refused to comment on political matters or on topics such as segregation and racism. This changed however in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School crisis or the “Little Rock nine” as it is also known. When Armstrong saw the crisis on television he was furious and told a reporter, Larry Lubenow, that President Dwight D. Eisenhower had "no guts" and stated, "The way they are treating my people in the South, the Government can go to hell.” When the eager reporter returned to his editor thinking he had a huge new cover story for their paper, the editor said there was no way Armstrong would have said something like that, and that they could only print the story if he had some form of proof. When the reporter returned to Armstrong he asked his permission to print the story.
Life in the 1950s was a time where when a women was married and has kids she would stay home taking care of the meals, and children. Men would be the ones to go out and find a good job that helps with money problems. Also sometimes married women would hire a nanny to also help around the house. In the 1950s men respected women more than they do today because women were supposed to be beautiful and elegant. Also men were able to be a gentleman around women.
In the 1940s women were called upon to help the war effort and support their “boys overseas” by stepping into factory jobs, signing up as nurses, and assisting in any way they could. Women enjoyed some of their greatest independence in these years as they did their part to support their country. The end of World War II brought many changes to the American people and women in particular. As men returned home from war women were forced back out of the workplaces they had only recently occupied, to return to the home. Not everyone had a positive view of the newfound independence of the American woman as author Arnold Green scripted in a 1956 sociology video:
Women of the 1950’s through the 1960’s are ridden with male oppression and self-esteem issues. The book Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates and an episode of Mad Men titled The Shoot have a lot in common. The differences and similarities between the leading women in both of these stories from the 1950’s show that times are different today. The women of the 1950’s had a dream for the future and their dream has finally become a reality for American women. From Mad Men, Betty Draper’s dream of becoming a model and in Revolutionary Road, April Wheeler’s dream of traveling the world are actual realities for women today. Their dreams show similarities, differences and the “American Dream” that every woman has.
Gender roles, societal expectations and gainful employment for women in America were quite limited prior to the early 1800s. By 1850 we can see that doors were opening little by little due to subtle changes in attitudes and the needs of our emerging industrialized nation. Many upper middle class women were concerned with more than domesticity. They were felt that a woman was more than a wife and mother only concerned with her home and family. Between 1850 and 1950 the three most important changes for women were political voice due to the women’s suffrage movement, expanded access to education, and rich, educated women leading the way to social reforms.
The social oppression women have faced all throughout history is connection to Janie’s marriages. Janie is shown throughout the book to be women who defined gender stereotypes in the early 1900’s. Furthermore, in the early 1900’s, women were thought to have exist to make life for her husband as easy as possible. While many women stayed quiet during this time, other women, in comparison to Janie, declared their own independence. This can be shown in her first marriage with Logan Killicks.
During the 1950s, America was at its prime. At that time period, the United States had the world’s strongest military power. Its economy was booming, and the fruits of this prosperity included, but was not limited to, new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods. During the 1950s, about four million babies were born each year. Between 1945 and 1960, the gross national product more than doubled, growing from $200 billion to more than $500 billion. Rates of unemployment and inflation were low, and wages were high. However, the 1950s was also an era of great conflict. A growing group of Americans spoke out against inequality and injustice during the 1950s. The struggle against racism and segregation entered the mainstream of American life.
“We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.” This quote was said by Beyoncé, a famous female singer who embraces the woman she is. Even though gender inequality is present for women in both societies, there are many differences between the expectations of females in the 1930’s to females today.
the house becoming the homemaker once the war was over. The 1950s has also been
As you know many things have changed since the 1960s and 1970s. For instance, women’s rights. Women rights have come a long way in education, work, family life, politics, and sports. But I am writing to remind you the importance in women’s work force. Women have always in a general manner…been under appreciated. It seemed however that sometimes needs made men realize or potential. You see during world war 2, nearly all women worked…this was directly related to the fact that men where away at war. Women worked both hard labor, and intelligent jobs. After they returned; women gave up their jobs and let men take over. Most women enjoyed the thought of a house life, but I don’t think most knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. Women
I think that different people would react differently depending on their political views and if you were women in the 1950’s it would more likely that you have negative nostalgia from the 1950’s. If you were a white rich man you had a lot of power and resources and so1950’s would be the good old days. If you were poor, a woman, African American etc you had less power and resources and at the time fighting against sexism and racism. Some of the delegates of the meeting of Union of Auto such as Delegate Murphy and women, in general, were fighting to work, especially married women. They were fighting for basic rights such as equality and how employers should end discrimination on wages based on marital status and sex.
For a long time, America has been at a standstill, a period where the citizens, government, and states failed to recognize the desires of the oppressed. America was prosperous and patriotic, yet failed to acknowledge minorities groups suffering to be included. The oppressed groups, such as women, African Americans, and immigrants were often left with the crumbs that tyrants left in society. The oppressed had a dream, envisioned a life where their children could one day make it in this world. America was supposed to be that dreamland, the melting pot where people, of different ethnicities, had the chance to thrive. A place where women did not have to worry about being limited to certain roles and individuals with dissimilar racial status would
The feminist movement of the 1960’s focused solely on the improvement and well- being of women. The idea of Feminism is a critical theory as it is an analytical examination of social conditions and what tools could be utilized to proactively improve these conditions. Overcoming the consistent barriers women had to endure during this era remains prevalent and continues to have psychological effects. In order to strengthen one’s mindset regarding feminism, we must first refer back and understand the intellectual history of the women’s movement and examine areas of how counseling can assist with overcoming these impediments. The Feminist philosophy is the philosophical dimension of intellectual feminism. Many philosophers understand their intellectual history and the history of the women's movement in terms of three "waves."
These events leading up to the twentieth century had polished the way for the new, independent woman to be introduced. Women "at all levels of society were active in attempts to better their lot, and the 'New Woman,' the late nineteenth-century equivalent of the 'liberated woman,' was much on the public mind" (Culley 117).
Without this cultural and social change to society in the 1950’s and 60’s, a woman’s world today would be very different than what we currently know it as.