Question.573 - Post-war America was a place full of contradictions. Consider the range of experiences of women in the United States and the ways in which race, gender, and sexuality shaped women’s lives. Answer two of the following questions in your initial post. Be sure to use evidence from at least one of the Primary Sources in Through Women’s Eyes. What is the idea of the Feminine Mystique and how did it shape women’s lives in the 1950s? Is it an accurate portrayal? How did media in the 1950s and early 1960s promote the image of the housewife and the domestic ideal? How did beliefs and prejudices surrounding sexuality and gender identity shape women’s experiences and opportunities? How did some women challenge these limitations? What roles did women take in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s? How does the concept of “bridge leadership” help us to understand their contributions? What obstacles did women in the Civil Rights Movement face?
Answer Below:
COLLAPSE What is the idea of the Feminine Mystique and how did it shape women’s lives in the 1950s? Is it an accurate portrayal? The Feminine Mystique is a concept that was introduced by one of the most renowned feminists Betty Friedan in her book published in 1963. The term was introduced in order to describe the societal convention that women have accepted, and they seek fulfillment in the works that are created by society. The roles that the women were constrained to are not something that they wanted to do willingly, but they have accepted the roles as something women are supposed to do naturally. It was assumed that women who are truly feminine should not have a desire to come out of their domestic sphere or get an education or have any say in their life. They were supposed to be within the domestic sphere, and they were convinced psychologically to perform the societal norms and conventions. It was only domestic and “maternal roles” that were given importance in the feminine mystique. Since men came back from war and the military, they were in their dominant nature again with them where they wanted their jobs to be handed over to them. During the war, women were handling the public domain and earning their livelihood, while after the war; they surrendered themselves again to the domestic sphere and maintained their role as expected by society. This is how women’s plight was during the Feminine mystique. Women were not given any chance to raise their voice politically and participate in the labor unions, and so this shows that the portrayal is not accurate. How did media in the 1950s and early 1960s promote the image of the housewife and the domestic ideal? In the 1950s, women were more focused on domestic chores, and they devoted themselves to their families, but in the 1960s, the roles were changing, and women started working again in the public sphere, where the employment opportunities were increasing for women. “In 1940, 25 percent of women worked; by 1960, the figure had climbed to 35 percent.” Moreover, even the married women started working, only 17% of women were working in the 1940s, but it increased to 32% in the 1960s. Along with married women, mothers also started working, and this was the most important development that took place during this time, and as such, more job opportunities were increasing. This is how the image of the housewife and the domestic ideal got changed where women were considered to be feminine truly only if they were following the set standards of society. Reference DuBois, E. C., & Dumenil, L. (2009). Through Women's Eyes: An American History with Documents (p. 864). Bedford/St. Martin's.More Articles From History
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