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Women's gender role in the 1960s
Women roles in american society
Gender roles in the 1960’s
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Women's gender role in the 1960s
Women roles in american society
Gender roles in the 1960’s
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Recommended: Women's gender role in the 1960s
When we think about men and women prior to the 1920’s, we think of their typical roles; the woman as the housewife and the man as the worker. We also think of the man having more freedoms and opportunities than the woman. Through out the 1920’s, despite their differences, equality slowly became part of the big picture. The role of women in society had taken a huge turn. From the right to vote to having new personal freedoms, the 20’s were a time of the “new women.”
Society has always painted the picture of a “traditional” woman: stay home, raise the children, keep the house, be nurturing, and in a multitude of ways, contribute to American society. However the 1920’s marked the birth
The breadwinner-homemaker family, the norm since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, is being replaced by a new norm of diversity” (Schulte). Family life in the 1950s is one of the most looked back upon generations, because it was so closely following the second World War, and was the beginning of the Baby Boomer generation. Because a lot of the soldiers were returning from the war to their wives to have children, the
The 1960s saw more and more women entering the workforce (moreso than in the 1920s), changing the dynamic within families. With more working mothers, fathers were called upon to play a more integral role in the function of the household (Potter, n.d.). In 1960, birth control was legalized (Potter, n.d.), giving women even more control over their family structure and lifestyle they chose to
While family structure has changed dramatically since the 1950’s, what current changes are we seeing; and how is it affecting the roles to which we play in a compromising world. In the 1950’s families consisted of a head of household (the Father), the house wife (or mother); and their offspring (the children). The father’s duty was to bring home the bacon, while making end meets for his family, while the wife stayed home and cared for the children, the elderly; and took on the household duties. These families usually lived in the suburbs, where they raised their children; while teaching them the proper ways of life. During this time in history, young women were expected to find a mate through persuasion, then get hitched; and eventually produce an offspring.
Women and the battle to maintain a work-lifestyle balance has been consistently debated and toyed with by society for ages. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor of Politics and author of “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” explains the continuous hardship of balancing a career and a family; as well, Stephen Marche, writer and author of “Home Economics: The Link Between Work-Life and Income Equality” combats Slaughter’s article and the many gaps present in society. Slaughter and Marche compare and contrast the differences of the leadership gap between men and women, the strategies of maintaining a work-balance lifestyle in regards to family, and the type of dialogue representing men in articles written by women. Anne-Marie Slaughter and Stephen
Now in the 1950’s gender constructs were heavy and demanding. For example, an article titled, “Postwar Gender Roles and Women in American Politics.” Says, “…often came at a cost to women who gave up careers to maintain the domestic sphere. This lifestyle stressed the importance of a one-income household,
The women were expected to create a happy home, guard the religion, and the morality of her family. The unmarried and married women who tried to seek work outside the home faced limited employment opportunities because of their gender. Women were expected to only focus on domestic duties and her role were limited to continue living in the man’s world. Women roles were expected to be in line with the culture and norms set by the society. The American culture perceived that women were not intellectually and emotionally stable to be involved in the complex world of work and, therefore, women did not take up leadership and political roles.
American families today seem to be assaulted from all sides. The changing climate in the work role of women has cause much concern about the fundamental survival of the family. Divorce rates are sky rocketing; marriage is being postponed or better yet rejected; fertility rates are plummeting and wives and mothers are rushing out of the home into the work force. The migration of women to the work force has displaced the institution of family. In her their book, The Employed Mother in America, Nye and Hoffman illuminate this major phenomenon of American life.
Did you know that women and people of color did not always possess the opportunities they have now? Evident throughout history, the belief of the superiority of white males over other genders and ethnic groups, began to shift during the Cold War era in the United States. Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, gender roles and civil rights issues were very prominent in society, which in turn, affected many individuals in relation to their work opportunity and their social life. To start out, for centuries people of color were deemed to be the less superior race due to geographical location and racial bias in the u tied States.
The 1960s feminist movement raised awareness to the crimes such as sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence. Feminists also helped refocus the fault on the attacker and not the victim. In several rape prosecutions during this time, the defense attorney would talk about the woman’s style of clothing and sexual history. This was indirectly implying that a provocatively dressed woman was to be partially blamed for being attacked. Women's legal civil services worked to change the rules of these a cases to help stop sexism.
During the 1950s, women were highly encouraged to stay at home to focus and care for their families. Women were more like restricted to stay at home and become a “housewife-mother” (Feminine Mystique, 1963). They had no freedom to do anything else other then care for their families; whereas, the husbands could do just about anything they want. Husbands can go to saloons and get flat out drunk, but they are still the head of the house. During the 50s, women felt like they had no purpose in life.
Betty Friedan, the well-known activist, and a writer inspired women to join the 1960’s growing movement of women’s rights with one of the utmost influential books in the twentieth century, The Feminine Mystique (Parry, 2010). The typical 1950’s woman was a housewife and mother feeling empty and discontent, and those that worked outside the home were stereotyped unsuited for professional careers and suppressed by men (Parry, 2010). The expectation of a woman was to stay home, have children, wash dishes, focus all their energy and souls on family life. A woman’s life was precariously portrayed in countless 1950 family sitcoms, for example, The Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best, and Leave it to Beaver.
Most opinions of Americans in the 1960s proclaim that they “did not yet believe that gender equality was possible or desirable.” (Coontz 1). Yet every woman today wants to believe that working together, by standing together with, a balanced diversity can help our country set an example to the world of how effective gender equality can be, such as in family issues. It’s easy for women to say that family decisions “should be made by the man of the house” (Coontz 1) but sometimes that’s not always the case. Mostly women are making family decisions in the house; men are accomplishing at work and are the breadwinners of the household.
Back in the 70’s women were financially dependent on their husband’s for almost everything because of unequal job opportunities. While there were still jobs for women, it was expected that they be a stay at home mom. Even more, women were overwhelmingly employed in certain occupations that have been traditionally oriented toward them, such as, domestic servants, salesclerks, factory workers, teachers, secretaries, and nurses. If they did get a better job, they would not get as much business as a man. Since no man would put his business affairs in the hands of a female lawyer or go to a lady doctor, despite the condition they were in.