The primary source that I chose are two different cartoons that show the change in the family life of the 1950’s. These two different views of women in these cartoons are brought together to show how post-war time changed the lives of single women and mothers from working women back to an ideal house wife life. The picture on the left is of Rosie, who was created as the new “working women”. Now that lots of the men in the family, who were the breadwinners are being sent out to war. The women of the family needed to step up to be the “breadwinners”, ordinarily there was no income coming in to the family without the husband. This shifts when the men come back from wartime, nevertheless are expecting to take their jobs back, which they ensure. The women are sent back to their homes to be once again the idea house wife. A person who combines these two cartoons together wants their audience to perceive …show more content…
As a women quoted in The American Promise “My Joe can’t put 5 kids through college… and the washer had to be replaced, and Ann was ashamed to bring friends home because the living room furniture was such a mess, so I went to work.” (Roark 730) This was becoming the normal for generally most families to have a “television set, refrigerator, and maybe one car.” (Roark 730) Consumer products grew drastically in these times, as a consequence pushed for families to keep up. Countless of families needed a second income to afford such luxuries. Even though it was hard for women to receive good paying jobs, in the book The American Promise is stated that “1/3 of all American Women held jobs by the end of the 1950s. However, full-time women workers earned only 60% of what the average male worker made.” (Roark 725) Generally people preferred traditional gender roles and the family life. Not many women challenged this preference society
Before the war women had to fit into a stereotype of “the perfect family” (“A Change in”). Prior to 1941 only 30% of women worked for 10 years and only 50% worked for 5 years (Discovery Education). Women were encouraged not to work, because it broke “the perfect family” stereotype (“The Women of”) (“A Change in”). Even husbands did not want their
During WWII, the two-breadwinner vision of the family suffered further setbacks. As May puts it, women entered war production, but they did not give up on reproduction..Economic hardship was no longer a barrier to marriage, as it had been in the 1930s, and dependents' allowances eased the burdens of families if the breadwinners were drafted. But perhaps most important was the desire to solidify relationships and establish connections to the future when war made life so uncertain. (May p.59-60) While the culture venerated female workers, it also promoted a return to domesticity after the war, a return encouraged by the gender bias of the GI Bill. Meanwhile, men were encouraged through pin-ups and propaganda to believe they were fighting for their own slice of the domestic, consumerist good life.
Prior to World War II, many women were unemployed, due to the Great Depression which had started a decade before. With men always getting preference for jobs, there were very few jobs left for women. Consequently, not only were many occupations were reserved for men, but men were also paid wages up to five times higher for the same task as women. Some states also barred married women from holding jobs. However during World War II, America produced at an efficiency which was higher than ever. This meant that the women had an increasing number of jobs. Jobs in the public sector opened up. Since 1939, women progressively changed the idea of patriarchy and the cliché thinking of an average woman in the United States to be a wife and mother.
Women’s history in the United States has always been represented as a struggle for rights. Wealth and status were tied to either their fathers or husbands. In the early 1900s, women were afforded the traditional roles of society. The majority of women worked in the home. If they were of the 18% young or poor women, they also worked in factories as laborers, manufacturing items for the booming industrial revolution (U.S. Department of Labor, 1980). During this time period the workplace was not in compliance with current safety standards. There was no minimum wage yet, work conditions were horrible and they worked long hours, “In 1900, the average workweek in manufacturing was 53 hours,” (Fisk, 2003). Women took “pink
The treatment of the male gender role is altogether different from that of the female gender role, and this issue has turned out to be important. Gender roles were extraordinarily changed in the 1950s, with the men returning from war and taking their occupations back. Females had, throughout World War II, taken men’s occupations while they had been away at war. After the war, numerous women needed to keep their occupations. Instead, a considerable amount of them got to be spouses and moms as the men returned from the war. For example, the male spouses were away at work for most the day while the wives would need to do a decent measure of the manual work around the house. The type of chores could have been cleaning, cooking, or other tasks the female spouses handled. These adjustments in the home might not have been viewed as positive but rather they were for women. Ladies truly advanced in the fifties with finding new openings for work and discovering their place in the world. Therefore, two articles explain further in detail about the
Robert L. Daniel, author of, American Women in the Twentieth Century, explains that women were being recruited to work in various jobs (122). Single women, ones that did not hold responsibilities to a husband or family were employed first and women that had families were taken only as a last resort (Daniel 123). Daniel further explains, "The nation's need permitted an expansion of women's economic role without it being perceived as a feminist threat" (123). What women could offer was now found as valuable and useful. The public opinion of women made a drastic turn around from their previous attitudes. The government and the media no longer looked down upon women for entering the work force, but gave much encouragement (Chafe, 134). In magazines such as "Lifetime" there were even advertisements promoting women to work.
Immediately after the war, the societal role of women began to shift. The result of the combination of this unprecedented role for women and the ambition shown by activists during the Progressive Era would lead to the “creation” of the “new woman” of the 1920s. Many women during this time embodied a greater sense of independence and mobility, often pushing back on the strict societal expectations of previous decades (creating new expectations). Additionally, technological advances at the time allowed household chores to be done faster and easier, giving women more of an opportunity to work professionally. Although women had entered the workforce decades prior, the Great Depression brought on a new outlook on women in that role.
Society at this time did not view women as equals and the pay they received reflected this attitude. ?In 1939 male teachers made an average salary of $1,953 while female teachers were paid a mere 1,394; male social workers averaged $1,718 while their female counterparts received a salary of $1,442. There was an expectation that women worked until they married then their husband would support the family.? (Chafe, pg. 63) This attitude was seen in the salaries women throughout America received prior to and during the early part of the war in small communities and the United States Government.
After the death of woman works at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company became public knowledge, women were working towards receiving proper wages and expanding their employment options. By the 1920 around 25 precent of employed woman were office workers or telephone operators, 8 million woman working for wages, and one-quarter were married woman. The female work force no longer just consisted of young, single white woman. In Charlotte Perkins Gilman book Woman and Economics offered woman “evidence of a ‘spirit if personal independence’ that pointed to a coming transformation of both economic and family life. ”(Give
As you know many things have changed since the 1960s and 1970s. For instance, women’s rights. Women rights have come a long way in education, work, family life, politics, and sports. But I am writing to remind you the importance in women’s work force. Women have always in a general manner…been under appreciated. It seemed however that sometimes needs made men realize or potential. You see during world war 2, nearly all women worked…this was directly related to the fact that men where away at war. Women worked both hard labor, and intelligent jobs. After they returned; women gave up their jobs and let men take over. Most women enjoyed the thought of a house life, but I don’t think most knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. Women
During the 1960’s, women represented about forty percent of America’s labor force. Women have typically received a median average wage three-fifths that of a male’s earnings. In the 1960’s, people justified paying women a lower wage using the excuse that a male’s societal role, as the main breadwinner, entitled him to a higher pay than a woman. Even if a woman and a man were performing the same job, a man would get paid higher simply because of his gender. Women began to realize the wage gender inequality, and began fighting for equal rights.
In 1920, women won the right to vote and they were gradually moving into the male-dominated labor force, but gender roles were not changing much. Due to the World War II draft, many women entered the labor force and even helped run the country. Upon the return of the veterans, many women were forced back into their homes. However, the opportunities for women were broadening and some women began making careers for themselves outside of the home. The 1960’s saw many feminist movements and in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed by Congress which enticed more women to get out of the house and into better careers.
Paid work for women moved from principally customary female-situated employments to all the more non-conventional and already male-arranged vocations. Ladies ' support in the workforce prompted them to start careers in the field dominated by male in the 20th century. Career yearnings were affected by elements, such as sexual orientation, financial status, race, occupation and instruction level, and parental desires. This paper exhibits how women developed, changed and the challenges they faced in the 20th century in America in the workforce and the advancement of ladies ' careers, improvement and profession goals during the 20th century in United States. Also, gender issues affecting women will be discussed in details during this period and how women played their role in fighting for their rights.
With the rise of the modern age economic survival has become difficult for families based on a single income. This economic need along with modern attitudes toward gender equality has resulted in women being represented in the workforce in greater numbers. However, until the 1960’s women faced severe discrimination when trying to enter and maintain a position in the workforce. Often qualified women would be passed over for men with less experience and education. Employers were fearful that women were too emotional and were not equipped to handle the stress of the work environment. Also driving the decision to not hire or promote women was the concern over the additional health care expenses and leave time pregnant
During the 1960’s, women were often regarded as little more than her husband’s housekeeper and cook. In 1963, women made approximately fifty-nine cents to every dollar a man in the same job made (Walsh). Frequently, women in the workforce could legally be fired from their job just for being pregnant, and most banks would not allow women a credit card unless it was signed under her husband’s name (McLaughlin). These forms of oppression in everyday life fostered a general need for change, and eventually sparked riots and protests. Inequalities in the workplace were a main source of dissatisfaction among women.