Gender Stereotypes Of Women During The Victorian Era

The 1930’s was primarily encompassed of the Great Depression. The stock market crash of 1929 led to a downward spiral of the economy, and many families were forced into unwanted unemployment. While men faced the harsh reality of being out of work, woman transitioned themselves to accept the responsibility of being the primary “bread-winners” of the family. While women were becoming dominant in the work force, their profound role in society was overshadowed by many outdated Victorian Era gender biases. Many companies continued to utilize and portray the wide array of gender assumptions through various advertisements. Healthcare and hygiene advertisements embodied the gender stereotypes that prevailed in the American society. The advertisements, which were produced during the Victorian Era, portrayed women being confined to domestic affairs and placed emphasis on the need to embrace traditional feminine traits. During the Victorian Era, a woman’s primarily role was tied heavily to domestic chores. The society stressed the need for women to be responsible for nurturing and raising children. Physicians during the Victorian period strongly believed that a woman’s “maternal instinct” led her to be responsible for childbearing and in essence child rearing as well (Rosenberg and Rosenberg, 120). This maternal instinct

Although the Victorian Era came to an end in the early 1900s, its ideas and thoughts still rang through the 1930’s. Even the drastic change in a woman’s role helped set right the unscientific and illogical beliefs of Victorian Era. Health and hygiene advertisements consistently portrayed the gender assumptions that were critical during the Victorian Era as they tried to appeal to the female population. These advertisements reminded women of their child bearing and child rearing roles as well as further women’s need to possess a nurturing and amiable