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The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers. I. 1950s Marriage Mania. By 1951 = 69% of all US women are married 1 in 3 wed by 19 By 1957 = 14 million girls engaged by 17. Single Women in the 1950s. “Lone Female” studied by writers & psychiatrists

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The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

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  1. The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

  2. I. 1950s Marriage Mania • By 1951 = 69% of all US women are married • 1 in 3 wed by 19 • By 1957 = 14 million girls engaged by 17

  3. Single Women in the 1950s • “Lone Female” studied by writers & psychiatrists • Hostility & suspicion directed towards single women & working women • 1955 = Over 300 pro-marriage books published for women

  4. Home Economics Textbook, 1956 • Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal—on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home! • Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Have them properly dressed to give their greetings. • Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow…speak in a low soothing and pleasant voice.

  5. Beauty Standards • Products marketed to “keep your husband” • 1956 = Average weight for women is 15 pounds lighter than 1926 average weight • 1956 = $1.3 billion spent on cosmetics, $660 million on beauty treatments, $400 million on soap and electric grooming, $65 million on “reducing”

  6. Urban Hotels for Single Women • High rise, all-girl hotels & boarding houses • NYC’s Barbizon Hotel for Women used by movie stars Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, writers Gael Greene, Sylvia Plath • Gael Greene, New York Post, 1958, claimed hotels evoked fears of spinsterhood

  7. Portrayals of Single Women in Media • Portrayed as Unfulfilled background characters • Doris Day: Working Single Women in films emphasized double standards about dating & sex • Etiquette Books taught girls how to avoid sex

  8. II. Single Pregnancy: Abortion, Adoption, & Race • 1944 – 1955 = 80% increase in # of white babies up for adoption • All abortion illegal in 1950s: 800 – 1,000 women died each year • Hospital abortion committee required 2 letters diagnosing a woman as psychologically impaired • Options = Quick marriage, illegal/unsafe abortion, “Home for Wayward Girls” before adoption • Race determined options of a single mother

  9. III. Sexuality in the 1950s • Dr. Alfred Kinsey’s Studies on Sex in Marriage, 1948 & 1953 • Surveys uncovered pre-marital sex, masturbation, affairs, & homosexuality • Attitudes towards marital sex no longer about procreation • Promoted female sexuality as normal

  10. Giving Birth in the 1950s • Ob/Gyn almost always male • No lamaze, few midwives • Women had little knowledge of anesthesia, c-sections, hysterectomies • Ob/Gyns hostile to breastfeeding; 25% breastfeed from 1940 - 1970

  11. Unhappiness of 1950s Housewives • 51 – 56 hours of weekly housekeeping (unpaid labor) • Alcoholism, domestic violence ignored by police • “Mother’s Little Helper” used for housework • 1/4 - 1/3 of couples married in 1950s would eventually divorce • Strict gender roles pressured women to stay out of the workforce

  12. The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan, 1963 • Exposed the plight of housewives, “The Problem With No Name” • Sold more than 1 million copies • Re-launched Feminist movement

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