This was something that my english professor sent out to the class as something to think about in regards to the development of women's rights, and it reminded me of our discussion yesterday about what society expected of a woman and what society expected of a man. It's an article from a woman's magazine from the 1950's, and it seems to be almost exactly the same as what we discussed. You can see it here: http://j-walk.com/other/goodwife/images/goodwifeguide.gif
I was surprised that the social expectations of gender roles didn't seem to change much at all over a period of 100 years. I thought that since so much happened between 1850 and 1950 (two world wars, the Great Depression, the Spanish-American war), that perhaps some of these big events would have influenced some other aspects of society. What do you think?
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Nice post, Gillian.
As we'll see next week, there is a period of interruption between the Victorians and the 1950s: the "New Woman" of the '20s and '30s who sought out a career.
The New Woman enters the factories during World War II, but when the men come home from abroad, they need the jobs, especially since the wartime industry is winding down, and she retreats to the home, or so the story goes.
Don't forget that even the most famous commentator on the mindnumbing characteristics of 1950s suburbia, Betty Friedan, was herself a union organizer on the side. Not as domestic as she'd like to have us think.
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