The Fifties Essay

There are many ways that the idea of the “traditional” family has changed over the past several centuries. For instance prior to the 19th century family was often considered anyone who lived within a household whether related by blood or not. This included employees and extended family. Per Coontz (2010) “The biological family was less sacrosanct, and less sentimentalized, than it would become in the nineteenth century.”(p. 35) In society at the time it was socially unacceptable to be separate or not included as part of a family household. Over time, the term family came to encompass the immediate family, a husband, wife and their children. During the late 1800’s through the mid 1900’s there were emerging ideas of family that were not widely accepted as traditional or normal, these included single parent homes with only a Mom or Dad, Stepfamilies and same sex couple and parent households. Today, American ideas of what constitutes a family have drastically expanded to include these formerly “non-traditional” families

During the 1950's, there was a lifestyle in America that was essentially set in stone from birth. Television portrayed an image that women were to stay to home with the children. Shows such as, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best displayed a stereotypical way of life and structure in a family. “The sitcoms were simultaneously advertisements, etiquette manuals, and how-to lessons for a new way of organizing marriage and child rising” (Coontz, 39). Although television shows of the 1950's were not true reality, it seemed to be a good model at the time. Family life in the 50's era differs greatly from today's family unit.

Once working citizens had started to receive higher salaries, they could afford more and nicer items than they would have otherwise. According to Daily life… (Kaldin, 2000) the average working man could buy a split-level house on display. In one year, the overage woman bought nine dresses and suits and 14 pairs of shoes. New appliances had also been invented during the 1950s. These appliances were simple in design with basic designs that reflected a new style of European modernism. The 1950s brought a “populux age “to America- a time when every appliance had handles or was easy to lift. Because of this, most appliances and technology could be moved around the house. This was just one of the advances in

Stephanie Coontz in “The Way We Weren’t: The Myth and Reality of the Traditional Family” emphasizes that the traditional and ideal nuclear family widespread in media and textbooks are false and far from reality. In fact, it is common to see more similarities to the traditional family consistent of “male breadwinner and nurturing mother” (1) today than in the past.

In her book Marriage a History Stephanie Coontz explains the male breadwinner family model and its dominance in family life during the 40’s, 50’s, and early 60’s. An illustration of the male breadwinner model is composed of a father, mother, and two children; typically a boy and girl close in age. Funded by their father’s well paying middle class salary, the wife and children live a comfortable life in suburbia and participate regularly in consumer trends. Perceived as the head of the household, the father was the sole financial provider. On the other hand the mother was the head of domestic life and was responsible for the children. The popular 1950’s TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet exemplified this family model. With regard to the male breadwinner family model, imagine having eight other brothers and sisters. Imagine growing up without a mother, and with a father who worked constantly. Then consider living this life alongside your peers who come from the “normal” male breadwinner families Coontz describes… How would your family differ from your peers? What would be your thoughts and feelings towards family life? More importantly, how would these unique circumstances change your perception of the nuclear family?

The article Family and Social Memory: Why History Matters mentioned the concept of the nuclear family. The ideal white-picket fenced family, with a mother, father and children who happily live together in privacy. It was during the postwar era when technological discoveries were rapid and mind-blowing, an era where hope was renewed and the ideal family was remodeled. It involved a father being the head of the house, and the mother being the primary caretaker. It was this notion that reigned as the ideal family for a long period of time. However, I find this stereotype to be rather poisonous because, as the article also mentioned, soon the media uncovered the dark realities behind the nuclear family. During the post-war era, abuse and sexism

With the dropping of the Atomic bomb that ended WWII and the beginning of the Cold War, there was an irony of stability and turmoil in the United States. The start of the 1950s brought about many changes, from the Red Scare and threat of the possible spread of communism in America, to changes in political movements, civil rights movements, and another possible war, there were many significant events and people during this time.

If there was one word to describe the decade of the 1950s, that word would “fabulous”. The 1950s was a memorable time in history, characterized by rock and roll, social conformity, mega-projects, and new technology. The lives of many Canadians cannot be generalized, but their values were all shaped by two major events: the Great Depression and World War II. After a period of cold war and depression the fifties became known as a time for new beginnings, for everyone including African-Americans. Events like Rosa Park's refusal to give her bus seat to a white rider triggered the civil rights movement that would bring an end to segregation.¹ There were many reasons why there was an uproar with African-Americans at this time, and one of those reasons was because of a new form of music. Then called Rock and Roll, this new type of music appeared to revolutionize musical tastes among many young people, and changed the world in more ways than one. The 1950s was also an age of the construction of many mega-projects in Canada, for example, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Trans-Canada Highway. Much like the media portrayed life in the 1950s as peaceful and happy, in reality, the Fifties were not much different than they were on television.

In conclusion I can say if we consider different perspective of the 1950’s family it clearly shows and present the ideas of happiness, togetherness, unity and supporting forms of families in different types and stages, it give the chance for family get to their goals and be success in life and society life, and support every member to be happy and live together, the perspective of 1950’s families brings happiness and togetherness among society and living

The 1950’s American, for the most part, lived in a small suburban town where the houses were designed the same and everyone had a car. This luxurious lifestyle derived from an economic flourishing after World War Two from production boosts and former soldiers re-entering the work force. The other aspects of 1950s America were not so bland and conformist in nature. Art, literature, and music exploded in a new way in the fifties, and influenced society in unseen ways. The Civil Rights movement began to ignite in this decade and started to rework all of American society, creating an anything but bland societal movement. In 1950s America, society had more money than it had ever had before and this created a consumer culture which bread conformist

People had more leisure time, they could spend their incomes however they chose, and were free to live and do as they pleased in the fifties. The ideal American life in the fifties was to get married, start a family, and settle down. As a result suburban life was created. Families wanted to be like the Cleavers, or other unrealistic families that were portrayed on television. These idealistic families were perfect, never raised their voices, and solved problems within seconds. They had several children, a beautiful, perfect stay at home mother who cooked and could wash the floor in stilettos, along with a hard working father who supported his family. These families would live in a house enclosed by a white picket fence and they were happy all the time. Now the image of these families for women especially had a profound impact. It made women believe that they had to be perfect all the time, when in fact many mothers and

I like to think the 1950s ideal nuclear family morals and values can still e accomplished in today's modern society, but not so much as the financial perpective of it due to the price different and market value homes had back in the 1950s compared to today household market value. Let's be honest, there is no way year income o f thirty thousands can purchase a home in todays day and age and still manage to take care a household which consist of 4 children and a wife. On the other hand, the values and virtues in which the 1950s television show, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harrites, Conley (379)" presented is what people strived to accomplish as a family back in the 1950s as well in today's society. Some differences one can notice is the marriage

The 1950s was the most influential decade in American history for many reasons including: the beginning of the civil rights act, the new and trendy style, and much more advances in technology and entertainment. Families were together and the young honored elders, teenagers respected themselves as well as others, and the cheerful music played all throughout the 50s is what mostly made this decade unforgettable. Not only that, but the lifestyles was much more functional than any other decade in America because people were peaceful. In the 1950s, Americans valued true fellowship with their friends and family.

Times have changed; the nuclear family is no longer the American ideal because family needs have changed since the 1950's. This American convention of a mother and father and their two children, were a template of films and early television as a depiction of the American family life. Now seen as archaic and cliché by today’s standards, but the idea is common throughout many of the first world nations in the world. This ideal was a vast departure from the past agrarian and pre industrial families, and was modeled and structured as the ‘American dream’ father working, mother maintaining the household and children molded to be simulacra of the parents. This portrayal was not the standard; many communities throughout America had a different

Imagine being on the cusp of adulthood during the 1950s when the term “nuclear” was becoming more common in regards to the matter of families. The idea of that a nuclear family, a family consisting of a man, his wife, and their children under one roof, is the only type of family that should exist was often shoved into the faces of young Americans. The nuclear family had been around for centuries, only truly developing the title of “nuclear” in the early twentieth century. It’s the concept that any family that doesn’t fit the structure laid down by the idea isn’t a family that should be welcomed into society. During the 1950s, this took a step farther. It was expected for someone to marry once they reached a certain age and many people considered something to be wrong with someone if they weren’t. . Though it is of note that not even before the 1950s had passed, changes had already begun.