American Culture and Gender Roles
During World War II, a high percentage of women performed industrialized jobs, as men were needed for battle. When the men came back from war, they took back their jobs. Most women wanted to keep their jobs,but were only allowed to work part time to financially support the family. As the number of women in the work field began to drop, they took clerical or service professions, such as nurses, teachers, maids, secretaries and librarians. Women were constrained and limited in their ability to expand and reach out to the world. As Betty Friedan, quoted in her book, The Feminine Mystique, “No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor. ”
Television shows and advertisements in magazines and newspapers portrayed marriage as an important objective to American women. This emphasized the aspect of family life. The new generation of media created an image of the “ideal woman” and their prospective roles in society. These lead women to build their identities around that image. In the suburban households, men assumed the position of the breadwinner and overseer of the family, while women stayed at home assuming the role to cook, clean, and take care of the children. The wives lived a life dedicated to please their husbands and children. Family dinners were also eaten with the whole family gathered.
Children during the 1950s also had roles to take in. They were generally well-groomed, well-mannered and would always listen to people with authority especially, the father. It was important whether the children were boys or girls because as they grew up, they would learn what the role of being a woman or man was. Females would learn from their mothers how to do the domestic chores and the necessities to lead a successful marriage. Being married seemed to be more important than getting an education and a career. Girls were also required to live with the family until they were married. As for the males, they were expected to join the military or get a job to help raise the family.
Family sitcom shows displayed the ideal family during the 1950s with a white nuclear family with distinct gender roles. Television shows such as “Father Knows Best” and “Leave It To Beaver” portrayed that men/husbands brought home the dough and was head of the family. They made all the important decisions in the household as the rest of the family follows along. Women were often portrayed as a good mother and wife in a suburban home setting. The shows depicted how natural and effortless it was for a woman to cook, clean, and bear children while the father was out working.
Advertisements were very popular at aiming products to the traditional families, especially to mothers and wives. Products were also targeted towards husbands, men, and children, but not as many. A general 1950s advertisement composed of the gender role being depicted, the product the ad is trying to sell, and the phrase written within the ad. Many product advertisements ranged from cleaning products, household appliances, beauty products and food for females to industrial products, automobiles, securities, and credit to males, also shown in Table 5. The products being promoted often portrayed what their responsibilities were. Women would be indulging in household and beauty luxurious which engaged them in their prospective roles. Men, on the other hand, would buy products that led to important decisions for the family. Printed commercials also portrayed occupations of men and women, with a high percentage working in blue collared and middle level business labor. The majority of females were shown to work in nonprofessional white-collar positions, shown in Table 1. These advertisements were intended to define the norms of gender roles in society and the Americans adjusted quickly.
Advertisements, just like television shows, shaped and emphasized the traditional family life and the prospective gender roles within the household. And ‘til this day, commercials, advertisements, and motion pictures all link to our beliefs, values, how we see things from different perspectives, and our roles in society. Some concepts about our American Dream have changed, while others still have a similar approach, but all in all media has affected us all in some way.
1950s Advertisements
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American Dream Picture. Found in American Dream Blogspot. Accessed May 8, 2013. http://americandream123.blogspot.com/2010/12/1950_15.html.
Friedan, Betty. Quote “No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor.” Found in GoodReads. Accessed May 8, 2013. http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/21798.Betty_Friedan
Wedding Picture. Found in Celebrity Culture and the American Dream website. Accessed May 8, 2013. http://celebritycultureandtheamericandream.wordpress.com/category/scandals/
“Table 1.” Found in A Comparative Analysis of the Roles Portrayed By Women in Print Advertisements: 1958, 1970, 1972. Accessed May 7, 2013. http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Publications/JournalofMarketingResearch(JMR)/1976/13/2/5006407.pdf.
“Table 5.” Found in A Comparative Analysis of the Roles Portrayed By Women in Print Advertisements: 1958, 1970, 1972. Accessed May 7, 2013. http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Publications/JournalofMarketingResearch(JMR)/1976/13/2/5006407.pdf.
Vaccuum Ad. Found in Baruch College 1950s Ads/ Commercials Aimed at Women. Accessed May 8, 2013. http://blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/familysummer2011/2011/07/31/1950s-adscommercials-aimed-at-women/
Refrigerator Ad. Found in Flickr website. Accessed May 8, 2013. http://www.flickr.com/photos/retroarama/7117120353/.
Car Ad. Found in History of Consumer Society and the Mass Media website. Accessed May 8 2013. http://rutgersconsumersociety.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/car-advertisements-of-the-1950s/