What Are The Changes In Women's Roles After Ww2

Family & Gender Roles in Post-WWII America
During World War II women were given a chance to show that they were capable of more than just housework. They were able to take over the factory jobs that were always meant for men and it seemed as though a small amount of progress was being made in how society viewed women. Even though there was still not equality in the workplace women still were happy with the sense of independence a job provided them with. After WWII reached an end and a new decade began it seemed as though all of America had taken a step back in time. With the rapid growth of suburbia came the extreme emphasis on the home and community which caused the baby boom and a change in women’s roles. Women’s roles changed in the
In the beginning of the war women were able to contribute through conserving resources and using canned and dried products (Of Course I Can, 1944). Soon after though after the demand for workers grew and women were able to get jobs as nurses, radio operators, and even technicians (Brennan, 12). After the war ended and men returned the GI Bill allowed veterans to receive financial aid for education and housing. Veterans could afford low priced homes and the common path to follow was to get married, have children, and move to the suburbs (Markowitz, 2). With birth rates constantly rising women were expected to stay home, care for the children, cook, and clean. In many suburbs recreational activities could be miles away from some homes and if the family did not have a second car then the wife was stuck at home. If women were able to enter the workforce it was most often only in clerical work as an assistant or secretary, it was very rare to see a woman in a management position (IBM Electric Typewriter, 1950). The women that did have to stay at home were expected to be happy to return home and care for their husband but many felt worthlessness because they had felt such independence during the war and now they were trapped(Anderson,
In many shows like Leave It to Beaver and I Love Lucy, the man was the breadwinner and the wife stayed home. The ideal family had a husband that went to work everyday while the mom stayed at home with three or more children. The ideal family was often portrayed on television shows and movies and promoted the idea of a return to normalcy (Pendergast, 2). America was finally at peace and with the prospering economy the middle class was created. During WWII television and movies were used as a way to distribute propaganda and encourage people to join the war effort (Mitcham, 9). Some propaganda that was used to convince women to join the war effort included “Rosie the Riveter”, who was portrayed as a strong capable woman (Litoff, 2). Women in television and movies were portrayed differently in the 1950’s when compared to the 1940’s. Women in the 40’s were smart and accomplished while in the 50’s they were portrayed as innocent and inadequate when compared to men. Marilyn Monroe is a good example of the way women were portrayed in movies. They were conniving but were incapable of accomplishing anything and seemed to not have common sense a majority of the time and were more clumsy than strong or powerful (Litoff,