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Women in the 1950s

Explore the multifaceted experiences of suburban women in the 1950s, from post-WWII employment shifts to social pressures and media portrayals. Discover the impact of WWII employment, social expectations, and the myth of the "happy housewife" era. Uncover the complexities through historical documents and discussion questions.

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Women in the 1950s

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  1. Women in the 1950s Essential Question: What was life like for suburban women in the 1950s?

  2. WWII employment for women • Large demand for labor • New job opportunities for women • 30,000 served in the military Women’s Auxiliary Corps laboratory technician conducts an experiment, Fort Jackson State Hospital, 1944 Aircraft engine technician and senior supervisor, Naval Air Base, 1942

  3. Post-WWII employment • Replaced by veterans • Employment rates increased for women • Limited opp. for Af-Am women A secretary and her boss, an industrial designer, New York City, 1950

  4. Social pressures • Early marriage • Childbearing • Stay-at-home motherhood • Nuclear family Kennedy wedding, Jacqueline throwing the bouquet, 1953

  5. The Baby Boom Births Year

  6. Media portrayals of gender • Ideal of domesticity • A woman’s role in the family • Flawless house A photo of the Cleaver family from Leave it to Beaver, a popular TV show in the 1950s-60s

  7. Suburbia, home of the “happy housewife” • G.I. Bill • Mass-produced, affordable homes • Great Migration and “white flight” Levittown track homes of the 1950s

  8. Household products marketed to women A 1950s ad for a cleaning product A 1950s ad for an electric iron

  9. Is the image of the happy 1950s housewife accurate? Central Historical Question

  10. Discussion Questions Were housewives happy with their lives? 2) Were women in the 1950s just staying at home? 3) Documents A and B say women were staying at home; but Documents C and D say that women were politically involved and even working. Who should we believe? 4) Do you think African-American, Latina, Asian American, and women from other minority groups had similar experiences to those depicted in these documents? Why or why not?

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