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1960s Gender Roles

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The 1960s were a time of great social confusion and change in America. The song lyrics of the times reflect this transition. While men appear to want to continue the dominant role in relationships, women seem conflicted as to what type of relationship they want from men.
The lyrics in these songs are filled with statements that prove men wish to keep women in a subservient role. “Under My Thumb” is a perfect example of this. When the Rolling Stones sing that “she’s the sweetest pet in the world”, they express the way that men see woman as someone to be kept and taken care of. Pets are domesticated animals, incapable of independence, and owned by people. The use of this word suggests that in a relationship, the man “owns”, or controls the …show more content…

Did they want a man who treated them in a traditional way or did they want independence? In “I Will Follow Him,” Peggy March sings that “he is my destiny” and that “wherever he goes I will follow.” This seemed to be a traditional role for women: they were expected to be led around by men and always loyally follow. Additionally, in “Mr. Sandman,” the Chordettes profess that their “dream” is to find a man. Similarly, in “Bobby’s Girl”, the singer says that “the most important thing” for her is to be Bobby’s girl, and she doesn’t seem to want anything for herself. Both the Chordettes and Marcie Blaine have no dreams for themselves, all they want is a man. However, in stark contrast, Lesley Gore sings about her independence in “You Don’t Own Me.” She clearly doesn’t want to be in the traditional male-female relationship. In this song, she wants men to know that she is “free […] to live [her] life the way [she] wants to say and do whatever [she] pleases.” She also asserts her independence by actually standing up to men: “Don't try to change me in any way […] you don't own me […] Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay.” In fact, by singing “I don't tell you what to say” and expecting the same courtesy from men, she seems to want to be treated as a man’s equal in a relationship. This seems like a revolutionary idea when compared to the other song lyrics of the time, where it was typical of women to blindly follow

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