The Role Of Gender Equality In The 1950's

The transformation of gender equality since the 21st century is one of the most profound and significant social changes in human history. However, during the 1950’s male dominance was mostly present amongst societies and cultures, where men and women were often viewed as occupying significantly different roles in society. This included men being viewed as the family’s main source of income and the dominant figure of the family, whereas women being the domestic caregivers, with the sole responsibility for child rearing and the obligation to obey their spouses. Often, post-World War II propaganda, such as persuasive articles and advertising campaigns, encouraged women to become this idea of an “ideal women”, in order to fit in with society.
One of these articles included “The Good Wife Guide”, published by the Housekeeping Magazine during 1955. However, in time, views on women changed significantly, establishing the same level of dominance as men in society, resulting in gender equality. As a result, this lead to the introduction of feminism. From the analysis of the article “The Good Wife Guide”, I will examine the revolution of society and discuss how it can we viewed by two different readers, one focusing on the society in the 1950’s whereas the other focusing on society in the present day.
During the 1950’s, the role of women was often considered as constrictive and oppressive in many ways.
With the influence of the media, society’s expectations of women were significantly high, as women were expected to fulfill roles, such as a diligent homemaker, a caring mother and obedient wife. This consisted of a mother who stayed at home and nurtured the kids, whilst their husbands worked during the day. A woman was also referred to as diligent, if they were able to carry out certain tasks such as prepare dinner, clean the house and fulfill all duties of a wife and mother. This is predominantly seen through the article, as it consists of series of rules and regulations, in which women must follow in order to be referred as a “Good Wife”. Unlike today, women in the 1950’s considered this exaggerated behavior as ordinary, as their sole purpose was to ease life for their kids and husband. Typical house jobs such as "Have dinner ready. Prepare yourself. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. Clear away the clutter”, was considered quite normal, as women were genuinely pleased to meet the needs of their family. In addition, women often felt secure when they received praises for their kids or
housekeeping.
The article also consists of series of characteristics; women should avoid in order to please their husbands and uphold their status of being a “Good Wife”.
This included “Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice”. This often reflected most women, as they feared displeasing their husbands therefore was prominently followed by most women at the time. This fear may have been provoked, as their main financial support was their husbands, due to their lack of education and inability to handle such tasks. Paradoxically, this was quite common during the 1950’s as it was considered untraditional for women to receive an
education.
In comparison to the 1950’s, women’s roles in society have significantly evolved in areas of moral, occupational and social reorganization. Over time, women were able to strive towards a higher degree of interdependence and gender equality, fighting against the oppression caused during the aftermath of World War 2. However, several years after the World War 2, national economies began fall, especially in the U.S, causing a significant increase in workforce. The need for a larger workforce allowed women to gain new opportunities to take upon different roles in society. This enabled women to advance in society, as legal policies and implementations were reformed. As a result, educational opportunities expanded, increase in equality and a reduction in crimes against women such as sexual assault and domestic abuse reduced significantly. Thus began a new era for women, introducing new opportunities for women in employment, departing from the traditional female roles. In relevance to the article, today’s society would often depict the article as being offensive and insulting, as women don’t tend to abide by rules anymore. As the article mentions “Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice”, “He is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him”, “A good wife always knows her place”, this could be seen as insulting